Mitchell Magazine Spring 2019
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 1
2 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
TABLE OF CONTENTS<br />
SPRING <strong>2019</strong><br />
4 From the Dean’s Desk<br />
6 Catching up with Cindy Du<br />
8 A Lifetime of Service<br />
10 Making an Impact by Partnering<br />
Research and Practice<br />
12 Ask the Expert: Retirement Planning 101<br />
13 Mastering Health Care: A New MBA Concentration<br />
14 <strong>Mitchell</strong> Ambassador Class of <strong>2019</strong><br />
17 Scholars Night <strong>2019</strong><br />
21 <strong>2019</strong> <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business Alumni Fellows<br />
24 Hey Google…<br />
26 You Don’t Know Jack... Yet<br />
28 Game. Set. Business. USA Tennis<br />
30 Focusing Afar<br />
31 Alumni Class Notes<br />
32 <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business Alumni Society<br />
34 Three People Three Questions<br />
35 Executive Advisory Council<br />
36 Center & Departmental Advisory Councils<br />
38 Selected Faculty Publications<br />
39 Invest in the College<br />
ON THE COVER: Dean Bob G. Wood with the <strong>2019</strong> class of<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> Ambassadors. Congratulations to Sabrina Garrett,<br />
Dylan Hooper, Owen Hicks, Emily Viglione, Baxley Stokes,<br />
and Taylor Hamlin.<br />
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2<br />
A PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA<br />
MITCHELL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS<br />
BOB G. WOOD | DEAN<br />
EMMY RIESKE | ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING<br />
DIANA NICHOLS | DIRECTOR CREATIVE SERVICES<br />
ELIZABETH GELINEAU, SETH LAUBINGER, SHELBY GUIDRY | PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 3
FROM THE DEAN’S DESK<br />
This spring has been a whirlwind<br />
of strategic planning activities<br />
and AACSB accreditation visits.<br />
To prepare, I took the time to reread<br />
Jim Collins’ Good to Great: Why Some<br />
Companies Make the Leap...and Some<br />
Don’t. A very good book—take the time<br />
to read or reread it.<br />
From the opening chapter:<br />
“Good is the enemy of great. And that<br />
is one of the key reasons why we have so<br />
little that becomes great. We don’t have<br />
great schools, principally because we<br />
have good schools. We don’t have great<br />
government, principally because we have<br />
good government. Few people attain great<br />
lives, in large part because it is just so<br />
easy to settle for a good life.”<br />
The third chapter discusses the<br />
need to have the right people in place<br />
before attempting the transformation<br />
from good to great. I’ll take that a step<br />
further—before attempting the planning<br />
process for the move (the strategic plan),<br />
it is CRITICALLY important to look<br />
realistically at who the organization is.<br />
In my experience, groups often either<br />
overlook this step or, more to their peril,<br />
refuse to acknowledge who they are.<br />
Three examples of missteps:<br />
• ONE OF MY SCHOOLS replaced its<br />
senior research officer on a regular basis.<br />
About every other one came in with the<br />
goal of transforming the university into<br />
“<br />
Well,<br />
”<br />
who are you?<br />
– THE WHO<br />
a Carnegie R1 University (universities at any cost” strategy—the siren calls<br />
with very high research activity.) Every from the increase in tuition revenue and<br />
effort failed. It is not that the faculty the cache of being a “large” institution<br />
were, for the most part, unable to produce are hard to resist. All recruitment<br />
scholarship at that level. Rather, it was efforts focused on a goal of increasing<br />
the fact that the research office failed enrollment on an annual basis. To<br />
to provide the needed tools (research meet the goal, entrance standards<br />
funding, research assistants, teaching were relaxed and a number of students<br />
and service time reductions, etc.)<br />
ill-prepared for college were admitted.<br />
necessary to make the transformation. Retention and graduation rates<br />
These efforts failed because the senior suffered as did the overall perception<br />
administrators didn’t consider the of university quality. Faculty morale<br />
faculty and the current environment. suffered—again, the administration<br />
• SENIOR ADMINISTRATION at failed to consider the factors that work<br />
another institution made the decision to to define a university’s personality.<br />
pursue a strategy to raise the recognition At the <strong>Mitchell</strong> College, we are<br />
and reputation of the university from focused on the transformation from<br />
a regional recognition to national. The good to great. We are not there; however,<br />
business college dean was tasked to lead we are much closer than we were and<br />
that effort. Business faculty members are moving in the right direction. I am<br />
embraced the idea and raised their game extremely fortunate to be surrounded by<br />
significantly. Only one small mistake… an excellent group of faculty and staff.<br />
although the business college faculty These educators are dedicated to making<br />
supported the strategy, the faculty at the a difference in the lives of our students.<br />
other colleges were happy and content I get much of the credit given for the<br />
with the way things were. The president change in the College, but the faculty and<br />
subsequently made the decision that “all staff are the driving force. We continue<br />
colleges should be equal” and, rather our quest.<br />
than work to move the other colleges Wishing you a great summer. See you<br />
forward, reigned in the efforts of the in the fall.<br />
business school. The president failed to<br />
Bob Wood, Dean<br />
take into account who the faculty were.<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business<br />
• I ALSO HAVE EXPERIENCED senior<br />
administration that pursues the “grow<br />
4 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
BY THE NUMBERS<br />
THE VITA PROGRAM<br />
15<br />
$50,000<br />
85<br />
$20,807<br />
Students assisted in tax preparation for low income families<br />
Tax returns prepared<br />
More than<br />
200<br />
students<br />
certified on<br />
Bloomberg<br />
Terminals<br />
$<br />
98 scholarships<br />
totaling almost<br />
$400,000<br />
awarded in <strong>2019</strong><br />
245<br />
undergraduate<br />
27<br />
graduate<br />
degrees<br />
awarded in<br />
2017-18<br />
Amount taxpayers saved in tax preparation fees<br />
$105,272<br />
TOTAL NUMBER OF<br />
PHD STUDENTS<br />
41<br />
Tax refunds processed<br />
Earned income credits for low income families<br />
$ $<br />
$ $<br />
113<br />
internships<br />
for credit:<br />
$ $<br />
$ $<br />
ACCOUNTING,<br />
ECONOMICS &<br />
FINANCE<br />
32<br />
MANAGEMENT<br />
39<br />
MARKETING,<br />
QUANTITATIVE<br />
METHODS AND<br />
INTERNATIONAL<br />
BUSINESS<br />
42<br />
27<br />
Internships<br />
and Co-ops with<br />
Austal USA<br />
10,601<br />
ALUMNI<br />
from coast to coast<br />
and nine states<br />
$ $<br />
1,060<br />
undergraduate<br />
94<br />
graduate<br />
business<br />
students<br />
enrolled in<br />
<strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
“The VITA program helped me learn<br />
how to deal with unique cases and<br />
figure out the appropriate course<br />
of action to take, how to deal with<br />
clients in a face-to-face, intimate,<br />
and sensitive setting, how to have<br />
confidence in my team’s professional<br />
judgment, and how to contribute to a<br />
highly functional professional team.<br />
This experience will help shape my<br />
knowledge base, professionalism,<br />
and skills that I have to offer to my<br />
employers of the future. I sincerely<br />
appreciate the opportunity to<br />
participate in the program.”<br />
—CALEB GRACE, CLASS OF <strong>2019</strong><br />
$676,353<br />
UNDER MANAGEMENT<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 5
Tell us about Cindy.<br />
Born and raised in China, I came<br />
to the U.S. in 1995 to attend graduate<br />
school. In 1997, I graduated from the<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business with a<br />
Master of Accounting degree and have<br />
been working in corporate accounting<br />
ever since. My experience ranges from<br />
startups to Fortune 500 members.<br />
Currently, I am serving as CFO for<br />
Cargo Chief, a transportation technology<br />
company in Silicon Valley.<br />
CATCHING UP WITH<br />
CINDY DU<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> recently caught up with Cindy Du, a<br />
MAcc graduate currently living in California. As a native<br />
of China, Cindy completed the MCOB MAcc degree<br />
and never looked back. She currently serves as CFO of<br />
Cargo Chief in Silicon Valley.<br />
Why accounting? How have your<br />
positions in the accounting field<br />
changed?<br />
Originally, I picked accounting<br />
because I thought that it would be<br />
relatively easy to find a job. The more<br />
I learned about accounting, the more<br />
I liked it. The double entry system is<br />
simple but powerful. I learned not to get<br />
upset when the numbers did not add up;<br />
rather, I looked deeper into the details<br />
knowing that the numbers will always<br />
balance in the end.<br />
As I advanced in my career, I began<br />
to focus on corporate accounting. I<br />
learned to accurately present historical<br />
financial ratios and to accurately project<br />
future ratios. Accountants not only need<br />
to have a profound knowledge about<br />
GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting<br />
Principles) but also need to be involved<br />
in the business. Being a CFO, I really<br />
enjoy not only understanding how the<br />
business works but also helping to make<br />
the business run better.<br />
How did you end up on the West<br />
Coast?<br />
Following graduation, I worked<br />
in Chicago for five years. I worked<br />
with companies such as McDonald<br />
Corporation and Molex. I subsequently<br />
moved to Silicon Valley in 2002. I was<br />
eager for new ideas, new technology,<br />
and a new way of doing business. The<br />
blossoming of new technologies is what<br />
first attracted me to Silicon Valley.<br />
Silicon Valley reminds me of Florence<br />
6 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
ALUMNI Q&A<br />
“What has shaped me most is my own failures.<br />
The deeper the hurt, the more I learn.”<br />
during the Renaissance; I did not want<br />
to miss this opportunity!<br />
How did you first get involved with<br />
the <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business?<br />
Why did you choose the College?<br />
I found the <strong>Mitchell</strong> College in a U.S.<br />
college catalog while in China. I was<br />
attracted by the beautiful campus and<br />
beaches near the town. I came to the U.S.<br />
with only $3 in my pocket. The graduate<br />
assistantship from the College helped<br />
me to finish my study. The education I<br />
received has helped me advance my career<br />
for all these years.<br />
As a business professional, what<br />
sort of trends do you see? How<br />
do you see the international<br />
relationships across countries<br />
changing over the next five years?<br />
Accounting hasn’t seen much<br />
innovation since the creation of doubleentry<br />
bookkeeping. On the other<br />
hand, technology and globalization<br />
have changed how accountants work.<br />
Accountants have transitioned from the<br />
10-column worksheet to Lotus 123 to<br />
Excel to various Enterprise Resource<br />
Planning (ERP) systems and now must<br />
embrace artificial intelligence (AI). New<br />
graduates must stay current on how new<br />
technology can improve work efficiency<br />
and impact their career.<br />
Almost every company I worked for is<br />
international in scope. I believe this trend<br />
will continue. New accounting graduates<br />
will most likely be required to work<br />
with International Financial Reporting<br />
Standard (IFRS), foreign tax laws and<br />
regulations, international mergers and<br />
acquisitions, and other multinational<br />
transactions. Another trend in the<br />
marketplace is the opening of U.S.<br />
subsidiaries by foreign corporations and<br />
their acquisition of U.S. companies. New<br />
graduates have an equal chance to work<br />
for a U.S. headquartered company with<br />
foreign subsidiaries or the U.S. subsidiary<br />
of a foreign multinational.<br />
What do you do when you aren’t<br />
working? What might someone be<br />
surprised to know about you?<br />
I am married with a 6-year old daughter. I<br />
spend most of my non-working time with<br />
my family. We love all outdoor activities,<br />
from the shore to mountains, including<br />
rock climbing and winter sports. I have<br />
climbed to the summit of a 20,000-foot<br />
mountain and scuba dived to more than<br />
100 feet below the ocean.<br />
Tell me about some of the people<br />
you’ve met or who have influenced<br />
you on your journey.<br />
From professors to managers and<br />
co-workers to staff, many people have<br />
influenced my journey, but what has<br />
shaped me most is my own failures. The<br />
deeper the hurt, the more I learn. Always<br />
remember not to be beaten down by your<br />
failure; learn from it and grow from it.<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 7
A Lifetime<br />
of Service<br />
MAJOR GENERAL MIKE SUMRALL<br />
U.S. ARMY RETIRED<br />
8 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
ALUMNI FEATURE<br />
Retired Maj. Gen. Mike H. Sumrall<br />
is a local; he was born and spent<br />
his formative years on Bienville<br />
Avenue in Mobile. Before attending the<br />
University of South Alabama, Sumrall<br />
attended McGill-Toolen Catholic High<br />
School. One of his high school classmates<br />
(a “great all-around guy”) was musician<br />
Jimmy Buffett. He has fond memories<br />
of high school football games at Ladd-<br />
Peebles Stadium; occasionally, Alabama<br />
would open their season against<br />
Mississippi State at Ladd-Peebles.<br />
When asked why he chose South,<br />
Sumrall said, “South Alabama was the<br />
perfect fit for my situation. I wanted to<br />
remain in the Mobile area and work a<br />
part-time job while attending school.<br />
South was relatively small when I was<br />
a student and was a nice fit for my goals<br />
and objectives.” Even though South was<br />
a newly minted university at the time, he<br />
still thought it stood out from the others<br />
because of its excellent staff and faculty.<br />
Coupled with the new facilities and small<br />
classes, the choice was obvious.<br />
South gave Sumrall the opportunity<br />
to develop an excellent educational<br />
foundation for all of the challenges<br />
and opportunities that would present<br />
themselves in his future. “Even today, I<br />
can remember specific things I learned<br />
from the professors and how they helped<br />
me understand and work out issues.”<br />
He does regret waiting until his senior<br />
year to take history. Professor Curtis<br />
“brought history to life” and he wished<br />
that he could have taken more courses<br />
with him. He also enjoyed Dr. Otto’s<br />
economics courses and has used many of<br />
his teaching points throughout his career.<br />
Being a student at South was a<br />
wonderful experience for him in so many<br />
ways. At the time, he did not fully realize<br />
the value of the diversified curriculum,<br />
but he clearly does now. When recalling<br />
his experience, he said, “The classes were<br />
challenging but a lot of fun. I was able to<br />
be a part of the early growth of South and<br />
enjoyed being involved in the<br />
development of the many traditions.”<br />
Sumrall also worked part-time for Dixie<br />
Leasing; one of his fraternity brothers<br />
who worked with him now owns the<br />
company. He participated in many of<br />
the extracurricular activities and made<br />
lifelong friends as a student. He also<br />
enrolled in ROTC; his instructors laid the<br />
cornerstone for what turned out to be a<br />
long and storied military career.<br />
Following graduation, Sumrall pursued<br />
a dual-track career — operating small<br />
businesses in the Mobile area and<br />
serving as a member of the Alabama<br />
National Guard. It became obvious that<br />
his calling was military service so he<br />
entered active duty with the Army. In<br />
that capacity, he served in Germany, the<br />
Middle East, and multiple locations in the<br />
United States including the U.S. Central<br />
Command ultimately rising to the rank<br />
of major general assigned to the Office of<br />
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and<br />
the Chief of the National Guard Bureau.<br />
He retired from the Army as a major<br />
general and elected to stay in the<br />
Washington, D.C., area. He is currently<br />
the executive director in the office of the<br />
chairman of a government contracting<br />
company that works primarily with<br />
the Veterans Administration. He works<br />
to help serve military members and<br />
veterans. When he is not working, his<br />
hobbies include traveling, boating, playing<br />
competitive croquet, and mountain<br />
biking.<br />
Sumrall is proud of the experiences<br />
he gained in the Army. “The Army did<br />
an excellent job of providing me with<br />
opportunities to increase both my civilian<br />
and military education and experiences.<br />
These credentials prepared me for roles<br />
of ever-increasing responsibility, and<br />
great jobs and promotions came my<br />
way as the result of the doors that were<br />
opened for me. Great mentors were<br />
always helping me be successful and<br />
prepared for future opportunities.”<br />
He advises students to seek out good<br />
mentors with whom you can share your<br />
goals and seek their help in positioning<br />
yourself to accomplish your goals.<br />
He is thankful for the time he spent<br />
at South, along with the lifelong friends<br />
he met as a student. The education<br />
he received at South provided him<br />
with a tremendous foundation for<br />
further studies and the ability to be<br />
successful while dealing with the many<br />
challenges and opportunities that he has<br />
experienced in his lifetime.<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 9
MAKING AN IMPACT BY PARTNERING<br />
RESEARCH AND PRACTICE<br />
BY MICKEY SMITH<br />
Assistant Professor of Management,<br />
University of South Alabama<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business<br />
10 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
FACULTY FEATURE<br />
Success as an academic professional<br />
is largely defined by impact,<br />
and impact is mostly measured<br />
by research output (e.g., publications,<br />
citations). These are indicators that your<br />
research is advancing the academic world<br />
by creating new knowledge or shedding<br />
new light on old assumptions.<br />
Success as a business leader is very<br />
much dependent on the same thing –<br />
impact. Impact in the business world may<br />
be measured by returns, profit, and other<br />
various metrics, but it all stems from the<br />
idea of running an effective organization.<br />
Theoretically, impact in business-centered<br />
academic research and impact<br />
in real-world business should share a<br />
clear relationship. Unfortunately, there<br />
is always a gap between research and<br />
practice. One of my primary goals has<br />
been to bridge the gap between academia<br />
and practice by partnering with organizations<br />
to conduct high-quality research.<br />
Doing so creates a win-win for everyone<br />
involved. Business leaders get information<br />
relevant to their company and chief<br />
concerns, and I get access to invaluable<br />
data sources – employees.<br />
My research is focused on explaining<br />
employee and team performance – particularly<br />
through variables like personality,<br />
organizational climate, and involvement-based<br />
management. There is nothing<br />
quite as personable as personality,<br />
which, to me, makes it the quintessential<br />
starting point to understand how people<br />
interact with each other. I’ve studied both<br />
the brighter and darker sides of personality<br />
because both aspects are critical for<br />
understanding why people do the things<br />
they do.<br />
I have also conducted a great deal of<br />
research on the topics of high-involvement<br />
management and organizational<br />
climate. I really enjoy researching these<br />
topics because I can easily translate the<br />
things I learn in this research to effective<br />
business practices. Indeed, I have taken<br />
a great deal of information from my<br />
research into businesses and seen the<br />
practical impact it has.<br />
This is particularly true for my work<br />
in high-involvement management and<br />
climate. I have witnessed, first-hand,<br />
the added value of applying it within<br />
real-world contexts. I was involved with<br />
a major organizational change project<br />
with a nation-wide specialty treatment<br />
cancer hospital. Over an 18-month period,<br />
we led an organization-wide initiative<br />
to integrate high-involvement into the<br />
organization’s culture. During the project,<br />
we collected data to capture the success<br />
of the change and to build upon our<br />
understanding of high-involvement in the<br />
academic literature.<br />
It was indeed a win-win. The impact of<br />
the high-involvement intervention was a<br />
dramatic decrease in turnover and absenteeism<br />
along with a substantial increase<br />
in employee satisfaction and commitment<br />
to the organization – a win for the<br />
organization! The impact of the data<br />
collection was subsequent publications in<br />
top management journals – a win for the<br />
research team! I have been fortunate to<br />
have some of this research published in<br />
some of the premier academic journals in<br />
our field, such as Journal of Management,<br />
Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal<br />
of Business and Psychology, and the<br />
International Journal of Human Resource<br />
Management.<br />
I’ve also presented the results of this<br />
research at various regional, national,<br />
and international conferences. I am particularly<br />
excited about being able to present<br />
my work at the upcoming Congress<br />
of the European Association of Work and<br />
Organizational Psychology – the premier<br />
academic-practitioner association outside<br />
the U.S. It is in Turin, Italy this year.<br />
This is just one example of the true<br />
impact created by collaboration between<br />
academics and practitioners. However, I<br />
see it as a rallying cry for future partnerships<br />
between MCOB researchers and<br />
businesses in the area.<br />
As a management researcher, I conduct<br />
research on the human side of business.<br />
I joke with my students in my organizational<br />
behavior and human resources<br />
courses when I make the point that<br />
accounting and finance may seem like<br />
the most difficult courses they will take.<br />
Really, however, the numbers and the<br />
formulas don’t change. It’s easy once you<br />
learn them. People, though, that’s the<br />
difficult part of business, because they do<br />
vary and they do change!<br />
People, however, are also the most<br />
valuable part of businesses. We stand<br />
to learn so much more about effective<br />
business practices when we can actually<br />
study them in practice. I guess you could<br />
say that I have a chip on my shoulder.<br />
I see academic-practitioner divide as a<br />
challenge, not a hindrance, and collaboration<br />
is a way to overcome that challenge<br />
and bridge the divide. That would be the<br />
ultimate mark of impact – at least from<br />
my perspective.<br />
Outside of my work-life, I dedicate<br />
all my remaining faculties to my family.<br />
My wife, Megan, is a two-time graduate<br />
from the USA College of Nursing. She<br />
is a neonatal nurse-practitioner. We<br />
met while we were both undergraduate<br />
students here at the University of South<br />
Alabama. We have two sons, Francis (4)<br />
and Jackson (2), who keep us on our toes.<br />
Although it is certainly cliché, I do what I<br />
do for them.<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 11
ASK THE EXPERT<br />
ASK THE EXPERT<br />
Doug Whitmore, Associate Vice President, Investment Officer<br />
Wells Fargo Advisors in Mobile, Alabama<br />
Retirement, a critical financial<br />
event<br />
Retirement planning is challenging,<br />
similar to putting together a jigsaw<br />
puzzle. The pieces are made to fit<br />
together, but some of the pieces have<br />
to be put in place first. We all want to<br />
retire comfortably, but finding a strategic<br />
balance between saving for retirement<br />
and addressing current critical financial<br />
needs takes a plan.<br />
Think of retirement planning as a<br />
simple three-step process made up<br />
of strategies that can help us create a<br />
timeline that works well at different<br />
stages of our lives. The first is to know<br />
where we are financially today. The<br />
second is to determine where we are<br />
going, and the third is to follow our<br />
individual plan.<br />
Where we stand today<br />
Setting the foundation for our plan<br />
starts with an assessment of our current<br />
financial picture. What are our assets<br />
and liabilities? What are our sources<br />
of retirement income? For younger<br />
workers, it can be difficult to determine<br />
how much income will be needed in<br />
retirement and how much their earnings<br />
will increase over their lifetime. These<br />
numbers will change over time so we<br />
recommend revisiting them frequently,<br />
especially as we get closer to retirement.<br />
A financial advisor can help identify goals<br />
and make them as realistic as possible.<br />
Take a look at the benefits available<br />
by your employer. If you have access to<br />
an employer-sponsored plan, consider<br />
making contributions at least as much<br />
as the match. The match can be “free”<br />
money and over time really adds up. As<br />
we age, the amount we save each year<br />
should increase. We should also look to<br />
different investment options in an effort<br />
to get the best benefit now and when we<br />
are in retirement.<br />
Plan To and Through Retirement<br />
What does retirement look like for<br />
you? We all want to maintain our<br />
standard of living in retirement. We<br />
also want to know we will have enough<br />
income to get us through those years.<br />
We often think about “when” we want<br />
to retire, but where do we want to<br />
live or what activities do we want to<br />
pursue? How long do we think we will<br />
be in retirement? Should we have a<br />
contingency plan for those unexpected<br />
critical financial events such as health<br />
problems or an unexpected early<br />
retirement?<br />
Once we have a clearer vision of what<br />
retirement would look like, we should<br />
start taking steps toward understanding<br />
potential tradeoffs. Planning for<br />
retirement will involve tradeoffs, some<br />
of these include saving less and spending<br />
more now or lowering our portfolio risk.<br />
These personal preferences should be<br />
included in planning discussions. We<br />
may want to retire a few years earlier<br />
than planned. This is possible, but what<br />
is the strategy for that? The strategy<br />
may be reducing retirement spending<br />
or saving more leading up to retirement<br />
but also could include taking on more<br />
investment risk.<br />
Revisit your plan regularly<br />
Now that we have a better<br />
understanding of where we are today<br />
and what retirement will look like,<br />
it is important to assess our current<br />
portfolio, additions we can make over<br />
time and what changes need to be made<br />
to achieve our goals. Unexpected events<br />
happen, this is why it’s important to<br />
revisit our primary goals and track our<br />
success toward those goals. If we set<br />
our timeline far enough out, navigating<br />
the critical wealth planning events such<br />
as education planning or charitable<br />
giving can be done with greater<br />
flexibility.<br />
Wherever you are in life, talk with<br />
a financial professional at least once a<br />
year, or whenever you face a significant<br />
life change. Remember, our lives are<br />
constantly changing!<br />
Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDIC-INSURED/NOT BANK-GUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE<br />
Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank<br />
affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2018 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved. CAR-0519-00394<br />
12 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
MASTERING HEALTHCARE<br />
BY USA HEALTH<br />
Healthcare is an ever-evolving<br />
industry. With new technologies<br />
being developed and regulations<br />
being constantly revised, leaders in the<br />
field must stay on top of the changes or be<br />
left behind.<br />
To meet these challenges, the University<br />
of South Alabama’s <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of<br />
Business and the College of Medicine have<br />
collaborated to provide a new learning<br />
opportunity for healthcare professionals.<br />
Starting in fall <strong>2019</strong>, the Master of<br />
Business Administration program will<br />
offer a concentration in healthcare<br />
leadership.<br />
According to Dr. Bob Wood, dean of the<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business, the program<br />
is designed to benefit professionals across<br />
the healthcare industry - those working<br />
in clinics and hospitals, private practice,<br />
public health, research scientists, and<br />
those currently in healthcare management<br />
positions. The curriculum emphasizes<br />
experiential learning with practical<br />
application.<br />
“Individuals completing the courses will<br />
be better prepared for the increasingly<br />
complex business environment and<br />
better positioned for challenges that they<br />
will face in more advanced managerial<br />
positions,” Dr. Wood said.<br />
The MBA is a flexible 30-credit-hour<br />
program, and the healthcare leadership<br />
concentration makes up nine of those<br />
credit hours in the form of three elective<br />
courses. Electives include topics<br />
such as U.S. Healthcare in the 21st<br />
Century, Healthcare Strategy, Revenue<br />
Cycle Management, and Leadership<br />
Development and Team-Building.<br />
“In healthcare, we have to adapt,” said<br />
Dr. John Marymont, vice president for<br />
medical affairs and dean of the College of<br />
Medicine, who earned an MBA in addition<br />
to his medical degree. “It’s important for<br />
healthcare leaders to have a foundation<br />
in business principles and the acumen to<br />
make well-informed decisions.”<br />
Dr. Marymont added, “I encourage<br />
our healthcare professionals, faculty,<br />
administrators and staff to take advantage<br />
of this new program to build skill sets that<br />
can be applied to their work within the<br />
College of Medicine and USA Health.”<br />
To support this faculty development<br />
effort, each year the College of Medicine<br />
will make available $10,000 tax-free<br />
educational loans. These loans are<br />
intended to provide faculty with sufficient<br />
funds, such that along with the university<br />
tuition benefit, they can complete the<br />
program at essentially no cost.<br />
The deadline to apply for the Master<br />
of Business Administration program is<br />
July 15. For more information on the<br />
healthcare leadership concentration,<br />
visit SouthAlabama.edu/colleges/<br />
mcob/mba/healthcare/.<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 13
Ambassadors<br />
CLASS OF <strong>2019</strong><br />
14 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
SABRINA GARRETT TAYLOR HAMLIN OWEN HICKS<br />
Originally from Birmingham, Sabrina<br />
Garrett came to the University of South<br />
Alabama knowing she wanted to major in<br />
accounting. After graduation, she will be<br />
attending the University of South Carolina<br />
to pursue her Masters in Accounting and<br />
begin completing sections of the CPA<br />
exam. Post-graduate school, she plans on<br />
living in a southeastern city and working in<br />
public accounting.<br />
“Being an Ambassador is a collaborative<br />
environment with many opportunities<br />
for leadership and growth. Serving as<br />
Chair was a very fulfilling and, at times,<br />
an overwhelming experience, but I<br />
could not be more proud of the work<br />
we have accomplished in the past three<br />
years. Serving as an Ambassador has<br />
impacted my leadership and networking<br />
skills, giving me the opportunity to meet<br />
incredible community leaders.”<br />
Garrett said a pivotal point in her<br />
education was when she enrolled in<br />
intermediate accounting. “I knew I made<br />
the right decision. Studying for financial<br />
accounting always seemed like a break<br />
from my other classes. It was challenging,<br />
yes, but I never had to force myself into<br />
memorization.”<br />
Taylor Hamlin was born in<br />
Germantown, TN. and raised in Troy,<br />
Ala. She graduated with a degree in<br />
accounting and joined Smith Dukes, an<br />
accounting firm in Mobile.<br />
Reflecting on her time as an<br />
Ambassador, Hamlin said, “I get to<br />
work with a great group of people<br />
and grow as a person. I’ve had the<br />
humbling experience of helping to<br />
lead those people. We’ve had fun as a<br />
team and have been given incredible<br />
opportunities to go and do. I’ve<br />
gotten to know people I wouldn’t<br />
have had the chance or guts to meet<br />
otherwise: other majors, prospective<br />
students, MCOB celebrities like Abe<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> and Dean Wood, and CEOs<br />
of public companies. I’ve also greatly<br />
benefited from being on both sides<br />
of the interview process for this<br />
organization.”<br />
She knew that she enjoyed her<br />
classes in managerial accounting,<br />
but since interning at a small firm,<br />
Maritech Marine & Industrial Services,<br />
she is now sure that corporate<br />
accounting is what she wants to<br />
pursue following graduation. “I enjoy<br />
being in the nooks and crannies of<br />
industry and helping keep businesses<br />
running day-to-day.”<br />
Owen Hicks, a native of Gadsden,<br />
Ala., graduated with a bachelor of<br />
science in accounting. Post-graduation,<br />
Owen plans on attending the<br />
University of South Carolina to pursue<br />
a Master of Accountancy and then<br />
take the CPA exam. After finishing this<br />
graduate program, she will begin her<br />
career in public accounting.<br />
Through the Ambassadors,<br />
she has been able to develop her<br />
professionalism, public speaking<br />
skills, networking capabilities, and so<br />
much more. However, the aspect that’s<br />
had the biggest impact has been the<br />
friendships she has developed. “Each<br />
individual in the group has something<br />
unique and wonderful to offer. I know<br />
these friendships will be kept for a<br />
lifetime.”<br />
Hicks went on to say, “Coming into<br />
college, I already was highly interested<br />
in accounting due to my personality.<br />
However, after taking a class in each<br />
of the prospective majors at South,<br />
my decision to pursue accounting was<br />
solidified. Everything about accounting<br />
fits my personality, and I loved<br />
learning how to read and understand<br />
financials. Furthermore, it would<br />
provide numerous job opportunities<br />
after college and the opportunity to<br />
obtain a specific license to set me<br />
apart in the workforce.”<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 15
DYLAN HOOPER<br />
BAXLEY STOKES<br />
EMILY VIGLIONE<br />
Dylan Hooper, a native of Mobile, AL,<br />
graduated with a bachelor of science in<br />
accounting. Post-graduation, he will attend<br />
the University of South Carolina to obtain<br />
his Master of Accountancy. During this<br />
one-year program, he also plans to study<br />
and pass the CPA exam. After graduate<br />
school, he plans to pursue a career in<br />
public accounting.<br />
Hooper says, “My experience as a<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> Ambassador has been incredible.<br />
One very unique experience being an<br />
Ambassador has afforded me was the<br />
opportunity to study abroad in Italy last<br />
May. Becoming an Ambassador of the<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business impacted me<br />
both as a student and young professional.<br />
It has been an incredible opportunity<br />
to lead such an outstanding group of<br />
Ambassadors and become so close to<br />
one another. I have been able to meet<br />
people I would have otherwise not had<br />
the opportunity to get to know. These<br />
relationships will forever have an impact<br />
on my life.”<br />
Upon entering college, he knew he was<br />
going to pursue his degree in accounting.<br />
“Once I completed my first two accounting<br />
classes at South with Professor Madden, I<br />
knew that accounting was for me.”<br />
16 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong><br />
Originally from Mobile, Baxley<br />
Stokes graduated with a double major<br />
in accounting and finance. After<br />
graduation, he will be pursuing the<br />
Master of Accountancy at Vanderbilt<br />
University with a concentration<br />
in valuation. After completing his<br />
program, Stokes hopes to begin<br />
working with a valuation team at a<br />
big four accounting firm, then make<br />
a transition into private equity or<br />
investment banking.<br />
When reflecting on the Ambassador<br />
program, Stokes said, “Being an<br />
Ambassador has been one of the most<br />
rewarding experiences in college.<br />
Being surrounded with fantastic<br />
people and top-level students has<br />
been phenomenal. Being able to serve<br />
the campus and see change through<br />
students’ opinions have been an<br />
incredible experience.”<br />
Stokes said a pivotal point in his<br />
major choice didn’t come until his<br />
second intermediate class when he<br />
had to decide if he was willing to<br />
buckle down and work to get through<br />
the material. “For my finance major,<br />
this point was my sophomore year<br />
when I took investments with Dr.<br />
Kyre Lahtinen. This class showed me<br />
how intricate and complex the world<br />
of finance is; then, in Dr. Hunsader’s<br />
intermediate finance class this major<br />
was confirmed even more for me.”<br />
Emily Viglione was born in Pensacola<br />
and raised in Gulf Breeze, Fla. She<br />
graduated with a degree in marketing<br />
with a concentration in management and<br />
joined SSAB America, an international<br />
steel company headquartered in Mobile.<br />
“Being an Ambassador has been<br />
fun! I’ve met the majority of MCOB’s<br />
faculty and staff through the program,<br />
am connected to more areas of campus,<br />
learned from our nation’s business<br />
professionals, and studied abroad in<br />
Italy with fellow Ambassadors. My<br />
experience as an Ambassador is bringing<br />
my college experience full-circle<br />
because now I’m the student speaking to<br />
prospective students at USA Days about<br />
why they should come to the University<br />
of South Alabama.”<br />
Before joining the Ambassador<br />
program, she struggled with speaking<br />
confidently. “Now, I am more expressive<br />
than ever because of the leadership<br />
lessons I received through the program.”<br />
Viglione said a pivotal point in<br />
her education came when she took<br />
Principles of Marketing with Dr.<br />
Finney. “I love to know fun, random<br />
facts about anything and everything,<br />
and Dr. Finney’s lectures are filled with<br />
them. It was the first business class that<br />
consistently engaged my interest, and<br />
his classes still help me connect lecture<br />
material to the real world.”
SCHOLARS<br />
NIGHT <strong>2019</strong><br />
Many years ago, a margarine advertisement touted,<br />
“It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” Having a<br />
dean that has survived not one, but two major<br />
tornadoes and multiple hurricanes and tropical<br />
storms, the college follows this advice. When the<br />
National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center<br />
forecast severe weather for the afternoon and<br />
evening of April 18, the University wisely cancelled<br />
all activities after 5:00 pm. Unfortunately, our<br />
Scholars Night and Alumni Fellow presentations<br />
fell victim to the decision. We proudly list the<br />
students that would have been recognized that<br />
night. Alumni Fellows may be found on page 21.<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 17
<strong>2019</strong> MITCHELL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS<br />
BRIAN L. MCGUIRE<br />
SCHOLARSHIP IN<br />
ACCOUNTING<br />
Paola Hernandez Barajas<br />
ALLEN, ALLEN & FOSTER,<br />
CPAS’ ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Lucas Brunson<br />
MOSTELLAR & SHREVE, LLP<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP IN<br />
ACCOUNTING<br />
Jaylen Carter<br />
ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Manuel Cedeno<br />
HARTMAN, BLACKMON &<br />
KILGORE, P.C. ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Hailee Crawford<br />
VERA REED ACCOUNTING<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Laura Driskell<br />
OUTSTANDING<br />
ACCOUNTING MAJOR<br />
Sabrina Garrett<br />
PUTCHA FAMILY<br />
OUTSTANDING ACCOUNTING<br />
STUDENT ENDOWED AWARD<br />
Kiana Giles<br />
ALABAMA SOCIETY OF CPAS’<br />
OUTSTANDING STUDENT<br />
AWARD<br />
Owen E. Hicks<br />
RUSSELL THOMPSON<br />
BUTLER & HOUSTON, LLP<br />
ACCOUNTING SCHOLARSHIP<br />
William Kasal<br />
ELAINE AND JOHN “J.D.”<br />
BAXTER ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP IN<br />
ACCOUNTING<br />
Briana Morris<br />
LUTHER E. CLEMENTS<br />
SCHOLARSHIP IN<br />
ACCOUNTING<br />
Kevin Nguyen<br />
ALABAMA SOCIETY OF CPAS’<br />
EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Ryan Ruland<br />
HARDIN-EAVES ENDOWED<br />
ACCOUNTING SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Ryan Ruland<br />
LAURA AND WAYNE DAVIS<br />
ACCOUNTING SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Ryan Ruland<br />
LANG FAMILY ENDOWED<br />
BOOK SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Sunshine Rutherford<br />
ALABAMA YOUNG BANKERS<br />
Justin Abalos<br />
THE FIRST: A NATIONAL<br />
BANKING ASSOCIATION<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP IN<br />
FINANCE<br />
Thomas Alford<br />
CLIFTON C. INGE<br />
LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP<br />
IN ECONOMICS AND<br />
FINANCE<br />
Sabrina Begum<br />
PNC BANK ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP IN FINANCE<br />
Caleb Dunaway<br />
DR. DONALD L. MOAK<br />
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Koda King<br />
WHITE-SPUNNER &<br />
ASSOCIATES, INC. ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP IN REAL<br />
ESTATE<br />
Christopher Mahan<br />
ROBERT AND JOSEPH<br />
HUNSADER MEMORIAL<br />
SCHOLARSHIP IN<br />
ECONOMICS AND FINANCE<br />
Taylor McManus<br />
ALTON R., III AND TONI<br />
GOUBIL BROWN ENDOWED<br />
FUND IN REAL ESTATE<br />
Dylan Schmitz<br />
OUTSTANDING FINANCE<br />
MAJOR<br />
James Baxley Stokes<br />
ADEN “JACK” COOPER<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Heather Trinh<br />
ALOYIS SONNEBORN<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Heather Trinh<br />
CHRISTOPHER J. WEIGEL<br />
FINANCE ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Quy (Annie) Vo<br />
OUTSTANDING ECONOMICS<br />
MAJOR (SPONSORED BY<br />
RICK AND JULIE HARVEY)<br />
Sahilee Waitman<br />
DR. MICHELLE L. SLAGLE<br />
MANAGEMENT<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Rasmus Karlsson<br />
DR. PAUL PIETRI<br />
ENDOWMENT SCHOLARSHIP<br />
IN MANAGEMENT<br />
McKenna Matzek<br />
Hannah McDuffie<br />
Cody Puckett<br />
Jolie Thompson<br />
MOBILE SOCIETY FOR<br />
HUMAN RESOURCE<br />
MANAGEMENT ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
McKenna Matzek<br />
Hannah McDuffie<br />
OUTSTANDING<br />
MANAGEMENT MAJOR<br />
Victoria McMahon<br />
CARL N. & JEWEL O. MELTON<br />
ENDOWED ENTREPRENEUR-<br />
SHIP SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Andrea Prgomelja<br />
EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION<br />
AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Andrea Prgomelja<br />
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS<br />
MANAGEMENT ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Cody Puckett<br />
DR. DONALD C. MOSLEY, SR.<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP IN<br />
BUSINESS<br />
Jolie Thompson<br />
PARKER ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Robert Kemper<br />
DR. FRANK R. URBANCIC<br />
SCHOLARSHIP IN<br />
ACCOUNTING<br />
Khang Luu<br />
Brittany Roberts<br />
DOUGLAS L.WHITMORE<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP IN<br />
FINANCE<br />
Kelsey Edwards<br />
OUTSTANDING REAL ESTATE<br />
MAJOR<br />
Auston Fillinger<br />
WARREN H. NICHOLSON<br />
ENDOWED ENTREPRENEUR-<br />
SHIP SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Tyler Hale<br />
DR. EDWARD L. HARRISON<br />
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Rasmus Karlsson<br />
DR. MARK WEAVER<br />
ENDOWED ENTREPRENEUR-<br />
IAL SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Jolie Thompson<br />
ALVIN J. WILLIAMS ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP FOR STUDY<br />
ABROAD IN MARKETING<br />
Cassidy Harding<br />
18 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
MARGIE MALONE TUCKSON<br />
ENDOWED MARKETING<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Taya Danielle Paschall<br />
GRANT M. DAVIS<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Victoria Power<br />
OUTSTANDING MARKETING<br />
MAJOR<br />
Stacy Sargeant<br />
JOHN R. DONOVAN<br />
ENDOWED GRADUATE<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Russell Cantrell<br />
Mary Kristen Lee<br />
Amber Poole<br />
WIND CREEK HOSPITALITY<br />
CENTER FOR REAL ESTATE<br />
AND ECONOMIC<br />
DEVELOPMENT MBA<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Russell Cantrell<br />
Amber Poole<br />
Jayoung Sohn<br />
Kevin Thornhill<br />
MEHUL PARIKH MEMORIAL<br />
SCHOLARSHIP FOR MBA<br />
STUDENTS<br />
Hector Guarneros Ortiz<br />
CLARENCE M. FRENKEL, JR.<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Julianna Abrams<br />
Rebecca Culberson<br />
Michael House<br />
Lauren Nehls<br />
WINTHROP M HALLETT III<br />
FREE ENTERPRISE<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Sarah Barnes<br />
Alyssa LaCoste<br />
STIMPSON BROTHERS<br />
LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP<br />
IN BUSINESS<br />
Blake Batchelor<br />
JACK R. BRUNSON<br />
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP<br />
FOR EXCELLENCE<br />
Courtney Cagle<br />
MITCHELL COLLEGE OF<br />
BUSINESS ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Joseph Collier<br />
JAKE & PAT GOSA<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP IN<br />
THE MITCHELL COLLEGE OF<br />
BUSINESS<br />
Angel Cox<br />
Jessica Fair<br />
Victoria Power<br />
PFILIP AND LUELLA HUNT<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Caleb Dunaway<br />
RICK AND JULIE HARVEY<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Logan Etheridge<br />
THOMAS CORCORAN<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP<br />
FOR ADULT STUDENTS<br />
Wade Forde<br />
CHRIS AND ELIZABETH<br />
MELTON ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Cheyenne Hodges<br />
TERRY S. BARKIN MEMORIAL<br />
SHOE STATION ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP IN BUSINESS<br />
Courtnei Johnson<br />
TOMMY AND KATHY<br />
ZOGHBY ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP IN FINANCE<br />
AND ACCOUNTING<br />
Dyamyn Johnson<br />
HELEN & ROBERT SELLERS<br />
SCHOLARSHIP IN BUSINESS<br />
Jazmin Jones<br />
MITCHELL COLLEGE OF<br />
BUSINESS 50TH<br />
ANNIVERSARY SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Rasmus Karlsson<br />
Briana Morris<br />
MITCHELL SCHOLARS PAY IT<br />
FORWARD SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Brenda Landa-Silva<br />
HOLLIS & CARMEL<br />
SHUMOCK ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP IN BUSINESS<br />
Ellie LaPorte<br />
Ashley Wade<br />
BBVA COMPASS ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP IN THE<br />
MITCHELL COLLEGE OF<br />
BUSINESS<br />
Caroline Long<br />
DON AND SANDRA<br />
MCCRORY ENDOWED BOOK<br />
AWARD IN THE MITCHELL<br />
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS<br />
Austin Sanders<br />
PEGGY & JOHN SEIBERT<br />
FAMILY ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Sunny Souvannasy<br />
RUSSELL AND CAM STILL<br />
SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT<br />
Savannah Stephens<br />
MICHAEL C. AND PATSY<br />
B. DOW ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Quy (Annie) Vo<br />
TURNER SUPPLY ENDOWED<br />
BOOK SCHOLARSHIP IN<br />
BUSINESS<br />
Lajarvis Weed<br />
REGIONS BANK ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Andres Arguelles<br />
Amara Baltimore<br />
John Chism<br />
Angela Cox<br />
Tyler Hale<br />
Michael House<br />
Courtnei Johnson<br />
Hannah McDuffie<br />
DR. CARL C. MOORE<br />
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP IN<br />
THE MITCHELL COLLEGE OF<br />
BUSINESS<br />
Kiana Giles<br />
PEGGY & JOHN SEIBERT<br />
FAMILY ENDOWED<br />
SCHOLARSHIP<br />
Daymond Guzman<br />
Floral arrangements from the canceled Scholars Night were delivered<br />
to USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital by <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of<br />
Business students Catherine Carwie, Peyton Rego, and Ethan Flowers.<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 19
DEAN’S AWARD<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business<br />
Dean’s Award is given to<br />
graduating seniors with a 3.75<br />
or higher GPA.<br />
Sarah Alkhatib<br />
Kyle Allen<br />
Lauren Carrubba<br />
Joyce Casolino<br />
Madison Douville<br />
Lacey Dugger<br />
Bailey Duos<br />
Rachel Finch<br />
Sabrina Garrett<br />
Rachel Gray<br />
Taylor Hamlin<br />
Paul Haulard<br />
Owen Hicks<br />
Dylan Hooper<br />
Sarah Ledbetter<br />
Victoria McMann<br />
Katherine McMichael<br />
Zachary Melton<br />
Winey Kate Navarro<br />
Anh Hong Nguyen<br />
Grace Ouwenga<br />
Jonathan Payne<br />
Mignone Perry<br />
Caroline Pope<br />
Stacy Sergeant<br />
Amber Sims<br />
Peter Staalbo<br />
James Baxley Stokes<br />
Melody Tittle<br />
Emily Viglione<br />
Momoko Yamamoto<br />
DISTINGUISHED<br />
ACADEMIC<br />
ACHIEVEMENT<br />
Distinguished Academic<br />
Achievement award goes to,<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business<br />
students who have a 4.0 GPA.<br />
SENIORS<br />
Mary Adams<br />
Sarah Alkhatib<br />
Jasmine Bocich<br />
Samantha Campbell<br />
Dylan Hooper<br />
Heather Hudson<br />
McKenna Matzek<br />
Anh Nguyen<br />
Victoria Power<br />
Emily Viglione<br />
JUNIORS<br />
Angel Cox<br />
Sarah Effio<br />
Jessica Fair<br />
Gregor Garscha<br />
Mikayla Kyle<br />
Khang Luu<br />
Joshua Smith<br />
Mary Spurlin<br />
SOPHOMORES<br />
Nicholas Dailey<br />
Anthony Miller<br />
Michael Moore<br />
Samuel Penque<br />
Peyton Rego<br />
Savannah Stephens<br />
Amber Walker<br />
FRESHMEN<br />
Reagan Chandler<br />
Joseph Collier<br />
Eric Covington<br />
Ethan Flowers<br />
Madison Gay<br />
Brianna Ladnier<br />
Ellie LaPorte<br />
Caroline Long<br />
John MacLatchie<br />
William Nguyen<br />
Taylor Rogers<br />
Jacob Spears<br />
Ashley Wade<br />
Yan Yang<br />
20 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
<strong>2019</strong><br />
MITCHELL COLLEGE<br />
OF BUSINESS<br />
ALUMNI<br />
FELLOWS<br />
The Alumni Fellow Program formally recognizes <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business alumni whose personal lives,<br />
professional achievements and contributions to society exemplify the highest ideals of the College<br />
and the University. The program encourages Fellows to interact with students and faculty. Fellows<br />
engage students by sharing their professional knowledge and experience to enhance career development.<br />
Fellows also demonstrate the application of business concepts, enriching faculty instruction.<br />
Each Alumni Fellow receives a commemorative award designed and hand-cast<br />
by Jeanne Stevens-Sollman, a nationally known sculptor and medalist, and a ceramic sculptured<br />
jaguar created by alumnus and nationally recognized representational sculptor Sam Nettles.<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 21
JACK DONOVAN JERRY HOST THERESA ANN<br />
HOWARTH<br />
Jack Donovan is the founder of<br />
Omakase, a consulting firm helping<br />
organizations articulate and execute<br />
growth strategies. Omakase works<br />
with clients in a variety of industries<br />
to enhance organizational leadership<br />
skills, manage change, and establish<br />
customer-centered strategies. Jack<br />
was the Chief Growth Officer for<br />
Univar Inc., a $10 billion global leader<br />
in chemical distribution where he<br />
designed and established the office<br />
of Enterprise Account Management,<br />
built a global platform to promote<br />
commercial excellence, and managed<br />
ChemPoint (specialty chemicals) plus<br />
the company’s Asia Pacific operations.<br />
He spent 18 years in a variety of roles<br />
at ARAMARK, a Fortune 500 company,<br />
where in his role as President, corporate<br />
officer, and member of the management<br />
committee he led a diverse portfolio of<br />
businesses generating almost $4 billion<br />
in revenue.<br />
Jack is a graduate of Duke University<br />
with a bachelor’s degree in Economics<br />
and Public Policy Study. He earned<br />
a Master of Business Administration<br />
degree from the <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of<br />
Business at the University of South<br />
Alabama where he received the USA<br />
Distinguished Alumni Award and was<br />
named an Executive in Residence.<br />
Jerry Host is President and Chief<br />
Executive Officer of Trustmark<br />
Corporation and Trustmark National<br />
Bank. Before joining Trustmark in<br />
1984 he was with First National Bank<br />
in Mobile. An alumnus of the <strong>Mitchell</strong><br />
College, he recently served as Chairman<br />
of the Mississippi Bankers Association.<br />
He is a member of the board of directors<br />
of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta<br />
and a past director for the New Orleans<br />
branch of the Federal Reserve Bank.<br />
Host is a past chairman of the Board of<br />
Governors of the Mississippi Executive<br />
Council and is a director and member<br />
of the Greater Jackson Chamber Board.<br />
He serves as chairman of the Mississippi<br />
Museum of Art and other nonprofit<br />
organizations across the Jackson<br />
community. Host is a graduate from the<br />
LSU School of Banking and the Center<br />
for Creative Leadership in Greensboro,<br />
North Carolina. He graduated from the<br />
National School of Financial & Funds<br />
Management at the University of Illinois<br />
and the Graduate School of Financial &<br />
Funds Management at the University of<br />
Oklahoma.<br />
Theresa Howarth retired as the Asia<br />
Pacific Director of Finance/Treasury<br />
Operations for Electronic Data Systems.<br />
She was responsible for transactions<br />
in the USA, Europe, and Asia Pacific,<br />
including mergers and acquisitions, joint<br />
ventures, spin-offs, and initial public<br />
offerings. Prior to EDS she worked<br />
for Price Waterhouse and Dresser<br />
Industries. She has worked in over 27<br />
countries and has traveled the world,<br />
including Antarctica. She earned a<br />
Bachelor of Science in accounting from<br />
the <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business and<br />
a Master of Business Administration<br />
from Tulane University. While at MCOB,<br />
she was a USS Alabama Crewmate, a<br />
Southerner, a Chi Omega, and Little<br />
Sister of Sigma Chi.<br />
She is a Certified Public Accountant<br />
and has an Accredited Business<br />
Valuation designation. She is a recipient<br />
of an MCOB Impact Award, is on the<br />
MCOB Executive Advisory Council,<br />
teaches CCD, is a member of the Sydney<br />
Women’s International Club, and serves<br />
on the Board of the Beaver Creek<br />
Association.<br />
22 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
MAJOR GENERAL<br />
MIKE SUMRALL<br />
U.S. ARMY<br />
Major General Mike H. Sumrall<br />
(ret.) is Chief Executive Officer of<br />
Skyline Unlimited, Ltd. Skyline is<br />
a nationwide professional services<br />
provider to federal, state, and local<br />
agencies. General Sumrall began his<br />
military career as an enlisted soldier<br />
with the Alabama Army National Guard.<br />
He was commissioned in 1970 through<br />
the Army National Guard Officer<br />
Candidate School at the University<br />
of South Alabama. During his career<br />
Sumrall served at Fort Lee (Virginia),<br />
Redstone Arsenal (Alabama), and<br />
Aberdeen Proving Ground (Maryland).<br />
He saw duty with the United States<br />
European Command, the United<br />
States Central Command, and served<br />
as Assistant to the Chairman of the<br />
Joint Chiefs of Staff for National Guard<br />
Matters, The Joint Staff in the Pentagon.<br />
He retired as Acting Director, Joint<br />
Staff National Guard Bureau where he<br />
developed and coordinated policies,<br />
programs, and plans affecting over<br />
half a million Army and Air National<br />
Guard personnel. In addition to his<br />
Bachelor of Science (Management) from<br />
the University of South Alabama, he<br />
holds a Master of Science in Logistics<br />
Management and an MBA from the<br />
Florida Institute of Technology.<br />
DR. PAUL H.<br />
PIETRI<br />
Dr. Paul H. Pietri is professor<br />
emeritus of management at the <strong>Mitchell</strong><br />
College of Business. He has taught more<br />
than 9,000 <strong>Mitchell</strong> College students<br />
since joining the faculty in 1975. A coauthor<br />
of three books, he has presented<br />
management and communication<br />
seminars to over 30 organizations<br />
across the United States and in Canada,<br />
Europe, and South America. As the first<br />
educational director of the Alabama<br />
Banking School, he developed the<br />
curriculum and taught in the program<br />
for 15 years.<br />
He received a Joint Commendation<br />
for Service to the Alabama Banking<br />
School from the Alabama House and<br />
Senate. He is a past recipient of the<br />
Outstanding Professor Award from<br />
the University of South Alabama<br />
National Alumni Association. He has<br />
served on the board of governors for<br />
the Academy of Management and the<br />
Southern Management Association and<br />
as education director and board member<br />
for Leadership Mobile.<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 23
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT<br />
hey<br />
google...<br />
HOW DO YOU GET FROM DETROIT<br />
TO MOBILE? MBA SPOTLIGHT: RACHEL SMITH<br />
On her 11th anniversary of<br />
getting hired at Google,<br />
Rachel Smith submitted her<br />
resignation and informed her manager,<br />
“I’m moving to Mobile and enrolling<br />
in the MBA program at the University<br />
of South Alabama.” Working up the<br />
courage to leave a great company and<br />
walking away from a promising career<br />
in tech wasn’t easy, but Smith heard a<br />
quote that helped her make the leap. She<br />
was living in Chicago at the time, and the<br />
city’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel, announced<br />
he was not running for re-election. He<br />
said, “This has been the job of a lifetime,<br />
but it is not a job for a lifetime.” Smith<br />
felt the same way about her career at<br />
Google and decided it was time to begin<br />
a new chapter.<br />
She was born and raised in the Detroit<br />
metro area and earned an Associate<br />
in Arts from Washtenaw Community<br />
College in Ann Arbor, Mich. She<br />
attended Wayne State University in<br />
Detroit on an academic scholarship<br />
and earned her Bachelor of Science<br />
Degree in Marketing. Three months<br />
after graduating, Smith was hired in the<br />
AdWords division of Google and worked<br />
in digital advertising for the next nine<br />
years. During that time, she learned<br />
how search, image and video advertising<br />
worked end-to-end in various roles<br />
across AdWords sales, DoubleClick<br />
consulting, YouTube technical support,<br />
and people management. In her last two<br />
years at Google, she transitioned away<br />
from advertising to work as a project<br />
manager in a fast growing part of the<br />
company called Google Cloud.<br />
In the years leading up to her<br />
decision to enroll in the MBA program,<br />
she had been considering leaving the<br />
tech industry to pursue a career in<br />
academia. To get a feel for the academic<br />
environment, Smith asked her younger<br />
sister (a recent University of South<br />
Alabama alumna) to connect her with<br />
instructors in USA’s <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of<br />
Business who would consider hosting<br />
her for student talks. This led to<br />
connections with Dr. Alvin Williams,<br />
the department chair of marketing, and<br />
Marianne Loes, a marketing instructor.<br />
Over the course of three years, she<br />
began giving annual talks at the MCOB<br />
about general career advice, preparing<br />
for job interviews, resume tips, and<br />
digital advertising.<br />
Looking back, it was her one-on-one<br />
career conversations with Loes where<br />
Smith learned about the accelerated<br />
MBA program at South. Loes explained<br />
what a career path from the tech<br />
24 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT<br />
industry to academia looked like, since<br />
she had a similar background herself.<br />
Getting an MBA was the first step<br />
and would take one year in South’s<br />
accelerated program.<br />
Not only was the timeline and new<br />
career path appealing, but Smith was in<br />
love with Mobile. The low cost of living,<br />
warm climate, excellent food, live music,<br />
beach access and friendly people made<br />
it a great place to live. She knew it was<br />
where she wanted to relocate and retire<br />
one day.<br />
Her transition from the corporate<br />
world to a full-time graduate student<br />
and graduate assistant at MCOB had a<br />
learning curve. Taking a standardized<br />
test such as the GMAT, writing an essay<br />
with citations, and studying for back-toback<br />
final exams were things she had not<br />
done in over a decade. Even still, she was<br />
excited to be a student again and looked<br />
forward to time in the classroom.<br />
“The MBA coursework has been<br />
relevant and applicable to everyday<br />
problems that I encountered<br />
throughout my career,” she said. The<br />
work experience she brought to the<br />
program added layers of context and<br />
understanding that enriched the course<br />
material. She especially liked when her<br />
marketing professor, Dr. Alex Sharland,<br />
invited current business owners into the<br />
classroom. The sessions underscored<br />
what Smith suspected - that more than<br />
ever, businesses are in need of strategic<br />
thinkers who can effectively use data<br />
to make decisions. Smith said the MBA<br />
program is helping her with these exact<br />
skills.<br />
These experiences proved useful in<br />
the spring semester when Smith and two<br />
classmates from South placed first out<br />
of five university teams in an MBA case<br />
competition at the University of West<br />
Florida. When they asked for feedback<br />
on their presentation, the executives<br />
from the Pensacola-based company they<br />
pitched to attributed their win to having<br />
the most strategic recommendations.<br />
With a full-time course load and a<br />
graduate assistantship, the days can be<br />
long and the weekends can be short.<br />
Rachel emphasized, “I’m grateful<br />
for the support of my family and my<br />
fiancé, Mathew. Their patience and<br />
encouragement have been a blessing in<br />
this new chapter of my career.”<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 25
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT<br />
You<br />
Don’t<br />
Know<br />
Jack...<br />
Yet<br />
26 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT<br />
I am grateful for all the opportunities the college has afforded me.<br />
It has allowed me to meet incredibly successful alumni, the best local business<br />
leaders, and even diplomats from foreign nations.<br />
Originally from Rainbow City,<br />
Ala., <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of<br />
Business Ambassador and<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> Scholar Jack Stover is staying<br />
busy. This outstanding junior is double<br />
majoring in international business<br />
and modern and classical languages<br />
and literature with a concentration<br />
in Spanish. Stover’s dedication and<br />
experience throughout his college career<br />
have earned him acceptance into the<br />
United States-Indonesia Society, or<br />
USINDO, Summer Studies Program in<br />
Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He is one of 14<br />
students across the U.S. participating in<br />
the program.<br />
After accepting a <strong>Mitchell</strong><br />
Scholarship, Stover decided to attend<br />
the University of South Alabama and<br />
has never looked back. “The <strong>Mitchell</strong><br />
College of Business has provided me<br />
countless incredible opportunities that<br />
I cannot imagine receiving elsewhere.<br />
From the relationships I have built with<br />
professors since my freshman year, such<br />
as Dr. Sonya Cole (Director, Professional<br />
Readiness Engagement Program) to the<br />
constant guidance and mentorship from<br />
Dean Wood, the faculty are extremely<br />
welcoming and kind to all students in<br />
every capacity.”<br />
In addition to the experience, the<br />
scholarship provides other benefits.<br />
“The <strong>Mitchell</strong> Scholarship has allowed<br />
me to study debt-free thanks to the<br />
extraordinary kindness and benevolence<br />
of the <strong>Mitchell</strong> family. Their investment<br />
in me as a scholar has driven me to<br />
ensure great academic and professional<br />
success.”<br />
Stover has also served in several<br />
leadership roles and organizations<br />
across the USA campus, such as being a<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> Ambassador, First-Year Council<br />
member, senatorial representative<br />
of MCOB in the Student Government<br />
Association, member of Beta Gamma<br />
Sigma (an international business<br />
honor society), Phi Eta Sigma National<br />
Honor Society and Phi Sigma Iota<br />
foreign language honor society, and vice<br />
president (2017) and president (2018)<br />
for the Kappa-Nu Chapter of the Kappa<br />
Sigma Fraternity.<br />
Stover’s perseverance also led to<br />
several internship opportunities in the<br />
Mobile community: a student internship<br />
at the <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business<br />
Center for Real Estate and Economic<br />
Development, a finance internship at<br />
Airbus, and business development and<br />
supply chain internships at Austal USA.<br />
“My experiences in different fields at two<br />
of the largest international businesses<br />
on the Gulf Coast have given me great<br />
direction in pushing me toward my<br />
professional goals beyond graduation.”<br />
Stover’s passion for international<br />
studies has taken him around the world.<br />
He has studied abroad in Cuenca, Spain<br />
and this summer will spend 10 days<br />
studying in France with members of<br />
MCOB. He will then spend 10 weeks in<br />
Indonesia with the USINDO Summer<br />
Studies Program. Stover will be studying<br />
Indonesian language, culture, economy,<br />
trade and business, and government and<br />
politics in Yogyakarta. Indonesia, the<br />
world’s fourth most populated nation,<br />
is expected to grow to be the world’s<br />
seventh largest economy by 2030.<br />
As part of the program, Stover will<br />
spend time volunteering with a local<br />
business in Yogyakarta learning practical<br />
business skills and getting experience<br />
working with a foreign company. The<br />
program also includes special lectures<br />
from government officials, local<br />
business leaders, researchers, and other<br />
professionals. The program isn’t all just<br />
work, though.<br />
Stover looks forward to the final<br />
component of the program, which<br />
includes visiting the Merapi volcano<br />
and the Borobudur Buddhist temple, a<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site.<br />
“I know this program will be an<br />
unforgettable and invaluable experience<br />
that I will cherish my entire life and<br />
I am extremely excited for this. After<br />
completing my program in Indonesia,<br />
I hope to bring back home with me a<br />
deeper knowledge and understanding of<br />
the Indonesian people and culture, new<br />
language skills, and a more-advanced<br />
comprehension of the international<br />
business world.”<br />
Stover noted his appreciation for the<br />
experiences the <strong>Mitchell</strong> College has<br />
provided him. “I am grateful for all the<br />
opportunities the college has afforded<br />
me. It has allowed me to meet incredibly<br />
successful alumni, the best local<br />
business leaders, and even diplomats<br />
from foreign nations. I hope to use my<br />
education at the <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of<br />
Business to propel me to my career goals<br />
after graduation.”<br />
Stover believes his experience has<br />
afforded him the ability to choose his<br />
own direction and consider which<br />
career path he should take. “I envision<br />
myself working in corporate business<br />
and eventually becoming an executive<br />
at a multinational manufacturing or<br />
merchandising company, or perhaps<br />
I will pursue public service with the<br />
Department of State and dream of<br />
eventually becoming an ambassador of<br />
the United States, living and working in<br />
a foreign country.”<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 27
LOUIS DELCOUR<br />
LILLE, FRANCE<br />
USA TENNIS<br />
MILKA- EMILIA PASANEN<br />
FINLAND<br />
MAJOR: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION<br />
“The professors at the business college truly<br />
care about their students and want them to<br />
be successful in the course and later in life.”<br />
LESLIE AIMEE SOTO<br />
BUSTAMANTE<br />
COLUMBUS, GEORGIA<br />
MAJOR: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS<br />
“What I like about MCOB is that<br />
all professors are engaged in giving their<br />
students the best of what they can give,<br />
encouraging us to get better and be<br />
better in whatever we do.”<br />
LOIC CLOES<br />
OREYE, BELGIUM<br />
MAJOR: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION<br />
“I initally chose business because I didn’t<br />
really know what to choose. I am actually really<br />
enjoying it, and I have wonderful teachers.”<br />
COLLIN P. SCHEUFLER<br />
GULF BREEZE, FLORIDA<br />
28 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
SANTIAGO I. DI LORETO<br />
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA<br />
MAXIME LAPRAILLE<br />
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM<br />
MAJOR: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION<br />
“I really like MCOB because teachers are always<br />
available for their students and the classes are<br />
smaller, making learning more effective.”<br />
YU FUJIOKA<br />
JAPAN<br />
MAJOR: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION<br />
“MCOB’s program is really nice and very<br />
developed to improve student’s ability.”<br />
NIKOLA KOHOUTOVA<br />
KRALUPY NAD VLTAVOU, CZECH REPUBLIC<br />
MAJOR: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION<br />
“The <strong>Mitchell</strong> College gives me many<br />
opportunities to learn and experience things<br />
about business, which helps me to choose<br />
a career I want. The professors from the<br />
department are always willing to help because<br />
they care about their students.”<br />
YURIE TAKANISHI<br />
HARACHO, JAPAN<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 29
FOCUSING AFAR<br />
MITCHELL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS<br />
30 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong><br />
In its continuing quest to equip students with<br />
market-ready skill sets, the <strong>Mitchell</strong> College<br />
of Business sponsors a series of short-term<br />
study abroad courses. These courses offer<br />
a unique opportunity to study between<br />
semesters in an international setting and<br />
feature lectures and meetings with leading<br />
business executives.<br />
STUDYING IN SYDNEY<br />
The Sydney study-abroad program is intended for students<br />
interested in gaining a deeper understanding of international<br />
business in Asia-Pacific and the management issues confronting<br />
both small to medium enterprises and multinational firms. The<br />
program provides practical guidance on how to develop and<br />
sustain a competitive advantage in the Asia-Pacific Region and the<br />
challenges and opportunities for trade growth and collaboration in<br />
this fast-growing and dynamic region.<br />
In addition to class time, students explore the many cultural<br />
options in Sydney and the New South Wales region. Students can<br />
choose from the famed Sydney Opera House, Darling Harbour,<br />
Circular Quay Port, Harbour Bridge, Royal Botanic Garden, Bondi<br />
Beach, the Sydney Zoo (kangaroos and koalas), and many others.<br />
LEARNING IN LONDON<br />
Each summer, Dr. Reid Cummings takes 25 students to Queen<br />
Mary University of London. Here, students look at international<br />
business operations from various perspectives giving them the<br />
opportunity to enrich their knowledge and understanding of the<br />
functional disciplines of business entities in a global setting. In<br />
addition to course work and papers, students participate in guest<br />
lectures from the European community and field trips to various<br />
U.K. and E.U. points of interest.<br />
BUSINESS & CULTURE IN ITALY<br />
Last summer, Dean Bob Wood and Dr. Ermano Affuso took<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business honor students to Rome, Pompei, and<br />
the Amalfi Coast as part of the first <strong>Mitchell</strong> Scholar International<br />
Experience. Students visited Italian companies including Eataly,<br />
learned of Italian history in Rome and Pompei, experienced the<br />
culture of the Amalfi Coast and an audience with the Pope in St.<br />
Peter’s Square. This summer, May <strong>2019</strong>, the experience visited<br />
Paris, Rennes, CAEN, Normandy beaches and Toulouse, France.
CLASS NOTES<br />
Class of 1980<br />
Pete Hayes (BBA) was named CEO and<br />
Board Member at Imagine!.<br />
Class of 1986<br />
Walne Donald (BBA) is Chairman and<br />
CEO of Mobile Fixture. Donald has<br />
helped grow the company to extend to<br />
six different locations across four states.<br />
Class of 1992<br />
Wendy Robertson (BBA) came home<br />
to Mobile in 2008 and went to work for<br />
APM Terminals; ten years later, they’ve<br />
successfully grown the business. Prior to<br />
APM Terminals, Robertson worked for<br />
various shipping companies from Long<br />
Beach, CA to Seattle, WA.<br />
Class of 1994<br />
Valerie Odom Stevenson (CPA, BS ’94;<br />
MACC ’96) is in her 20th year at the<br />
University of North Florida in Jacksonville,<br />
Fla. She currently serves as the Controller.<br />
Stevenson has had progressive upward<br />
movement throughout her career at UNF.<br />
She has worked as the Assistant Director<br />
for the Division of Sponsored & Training<br />
(99-04); Assistant University Budget<br />
Director (05-09); Associate Controller<br />
(09-12); and University Controller<br />
starting in 2012 to current. Prior to UNF,<br />
Stevenson spent 5 years (94-99) working<br />
in the Business Office at the University<br />
of South Alabama as Accountant I and<br />
Accountant II.<br />
Most recently, she received the <strong>2019</strong><br />
Outstanding International Services<br />
Award. In 2014, she received the<br />
Administrative and Professional Staff<br />
Presidential Excellence Award.<br />
Class of 2004<br />
Keith Davidson (BBA) started his own<br />
consulting firm, Silverbridge Consulting.<br />
He currently lives in Dallas, TX, with<br />
his wife, Tabitha, and his two children,<br />
Carter (10) and Sydney (8). When he is<br />
not with family or working, you can find<br />
him training for his next marathon.<br />
Class of 2005<br />
Jason Sautlers<br />
(BBA) is Partner<br />
in Charge of the<br />
Franchise Services<br />
practice at Horne<br />
LLP Mobile. When<br />
he joined Horne,<br />
he found that<br />
helping franchisees with their businesses<br />
energized him. He grew close to his<br />
clients, learned through their experiences,<br />
and had fun along the way.<br />
Class of 2014<br />
Cadie (Simmons) Gaut (BBA) started<br />
her own business, Payroll Vault. The<br />
company has been the proud recipient of<br />
several awards. In May 2017, the Mobile<br />
Chamber of Commerce awarded it the<br />
Small Business of the Month. The Payroll<br />
Vault corporate office has recognized<br />
the Mobile office for the following: 2015<br />
Business Achievement Award for Growth<br />
and Sales; 2015 Leap of Faith Award;<br />
2016 Diamond Achievement Award –<br />
Sales Person of Year; and 2016 Driving to<br />
Success Award.<br />
Tasha L. Litton (BBA) is working at<br />
the University of South Alabama in the<br />
Career Services Department as a Career<br />
Coordinator for Employer & Student<br />
Connections where she organizes events,<br />
workshops and fairs. She also manages<br />
the University’s career platform,<br />
Handshake, where she assists employers<br />
with connecting to our University, visiting<br />
campus, and posting job positions.<br />
Class of 2016<br />
Joseph Raebel (BBA) most recently<br />
graduated from the Mobile Police<br />
Academy, class #61, and is engaged to<br />
be married in summer <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
Class of 2017<br />
Gabrielle Vargas<br />
(BBA) moved<br />
to Jacksonville,<br />
Florida, to explore<br />
employment<br />
opportunities.<br />
She is currently a<br />
full-time employee<br />
as the Welcome Center Coordinator<br />
at a university in Jacksonville, Florida.<br />
She works as a part of the Enrollment<br />
Services Department and helps manage<br />
over 30 student employee tour guides.<br />
Class of 2018<br />
Kayla Morgan (BBA) has joined the<br />
economic and development team at the<br />
Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce as<br />
a Marketing and Research Manager.<br />
She has enjoyed staying close to home<br />
and still loves to cheer on the Jags!<br />
Emily Rodrick (MBA) has been working<br />
for Disney as part of the Disney College<br />
Program. For her, it’s the opportunity to<br />
create a network and lead to a career<br />
with the Walt Disney Company. As her<br />
program draws to a close, she is focused<br />
on applying for positions in the field of<br />
Strategic Communications at the Walt<br />
Disney Resorts.<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 31
ALUMNI SOCIETY<br />
The newly founded <strong>Mitchell</strong> College<br />
of Business Alumni Society strives to<br />
strengthen the relationship of alumni of<br />
the University of South Alabama. The<br />
MCOB Alumni Society provides fellowship<br />
opportunities among our alumni as a means<br />
to increase alumni activity awareness<br />
and engagement. We are excited to host a<br />
lineup of events, socials, fundraisers, and<br />
service opportunities for our alumni to<br />
become involved.<br />
To get involved, follow us on social media<br />
and visit our website to stay connected,<br />
receive the <strong>Mitchell</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> and get the<br />
monthly <strong>Mitchell</strong> Report.<br />
SouthAlabama.edu/colleges/mcob/<br />
alumni.html<br />
32 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 33
THREE PEOPLE<br />
THREE QUESTIONS<br />
JEANNE MAES<br />
Professor of<br />
Management, <strong>Mitchell</strong><br />
College of Business<br />
1What are you reading?<br />
Right now, it’s “Radical Candor” by<br />
Kim Scott. The book is a combination of<br />
Scott’s work experiences as well as a nononsense<br />
approach to communication in<br />
today’s world. Scott’s approach is different<br />
from many of the others I’ve read.<br />
Who is inspiring you?<br />
Those names would make for a LONG<br />
list! For me, primarily, it would be<br />
the unsung heroes I’ve met; those<br />
individuals who want to contribute to<br />
others’ lives but don’t create a fanfare<br />
about themselves. They just see a need<br />
and meet it - or go about figuring out<br />
how to help.<br />
What is the best part of your day?<br />
I really enjoy interacting with my classes<br />
and coaching my students; there is a real<br />
joy knowing I’ve made a difference for<br />
someone. I also enjoy my family and<br />
friends very much.<br />
34 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong><br />
JAKE GOSA<br />
CEO of American<br />
Woodmark (Ret.)<br />
2What are you reading?<br />
“The Last Lion, VOL II,” by William<br />
Manchester, a biography of Sir Winston<br />
Churchill. Possibly the greatest man<br />
of the 20th century. Also of note is,<br />
“Destined for War,” by Graham Allison,<br />
a detailed look at the strategic aims of<br />
China vis-a-vis the “China 2025” strategy.<br />
Who is inspiring you?<br />
I am particularly motivated by Secretary<br />
of State Mike Pompeo. He is negotiating<br />
with the North Koreans, Chinese<br />
and Iranians about nuclear weapons<br />
proliferation and other complex issues.<br />
He seems to be slowly moving the ball<br />
with the most difficult agenda and most<br />
difficult adversaries in the world.<br />
What is the best part of your day?<br />
I love the mornings and Mondays. Each<br />
signaling a new beginning, each with its<br />
own possibilities.<br />
ANGELA DUNN<br />
Hancock Whitney Bank<br />
Vice President, Middle<br />
Marketing Banking<br />
What are you reading?<br />
3Right now I’m reading “A Call to<br />
Joy” by Matthew Kelly. I’m also listening<br />
to the audio book, “Spin Selling” by Neil<br />
Rackham. “Spin Selling” is a researchbased<br />
book on sales techniques. This<br />
book has given me a lot of insight<br />
on working with clients on how to<br />
really understand their needs, then<br />
communicate how we can work together<br />
to solve some of their problems.<br />
Who is inspiring you?<br />
My pastor, Jay Robertson, is inspiring<br />
me right now. He constantly challenges<br />
me in my Christian walk. His vision for<br />
our church is unlike anything I have ever<br />
experienced.<br />
What is the best part of your day?<br />
We live right across the street from my<br />
children’s school. Every morning we<br />
walk to school with our dog. There is<br />
just something about taking that walk<br />
with them every morning that gets them<br />
really talking about the things that are<br />
really important to them.
MITCHELL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS<br />
EXECUTIVE ADVISORY COUNCIL<br />
ALAN ALEXANDER<br />
Attorney<br />
Helmsing Leach Attorneys at Law<br />
WALNE DONALD<br />
Chairman-CEO<br />
Mobile Fixture and Equipment Co.<br />
JERRY LATHAN<br />
Founder and Chairman<br />
Roofing Corporation of America<br />
MICHAEL SANDERS<br />
President/Owner<br />
Sanders-Hyland Corporation<br />
JAY ALEXANDER<br />
General Partner<br />
Bright Star Capital Management<br />
ALEXIS ATKINS<br />
Principal<br />
Budweiser Busch<br />
CELIA MANN BAEHR<br />
President & CEO<br />
Mobile Symphony Orchestra<br />
CLARENCE BALL JR.<br />
President<br />
Ball Healthcare Services, Inc.<br />
BRENT BARKIN<br />
President and CEO<br />
Shoe Station<br />
GAVIN BENDER<br />
President<br />
Bender Real Estate Group<br />
WILEY BLANKENSHIP<br />
President & CEO<br />
Coastal Alabama Partnership<br />
W. ALLEN CARROLL JR.<br />
Managing Partner<br />
Wilkins Miller, LLC<br />
HOLLY CHAPMAN<br />
CFO<br />
The American Equity<br />
Underwriters, Inc.<br />
JOE DENTON<br />
Executive Vice President and CFO<br />
Infirmary Health<br />
JAY DORRIS<br />
President & CEO<br />
PCI Gaming Authority<br />
ELIZABETH FREEMAN<br />
President<br />
Long’s Human Resource Services<br />
JULIE HARVEY<br />
CI Manager<br />
Chevron<br />
JANET HAYES<br />
Chief Operating Officer<br />
Leavell Investment Management<br />
THERESA HOWARTH<br />
Director of Finance, Asia (retired)<br />
EDS<br />
TOM HOWIE<br />
COO<br />
Pixspan<br />
BRIAN KANE<br />
Owner/Managing Partner<br />
Fairhope Brewing Company<br />
DONALD KEELER<br />
Vice President Human Resources<br />
Austal USA<br />
ALLEN LADD<br />
Vice President<br />
Thames Batré<br />
RUSSELL LADD III<br />
President and CEO (retired)<br />
Thames Batré<br />
JIM LAUDER<br />
Chief Executive Office (retired)<br />
Global Index Advisors, Inc.<br />
KATE LUCE<br />
President & CEO<br />
Mississippi Export Railroad<br />
BRUCE MCCRORY<br />
Operations & Business<br />
Development<br />
Nations Roof<br />
CHRIS MELTON<br />
Chairman and CEO<br />
The White Oak Group<br />
ABRAHAM MITCHELL<br />
Owner<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> Brothers<br />
KEITH MOHLER<br />
Self-Employed<br />
Marketing/Sales<br />
MELISSA MORRISSETTE<br />
Vice President-Owner<br />
LLB&B, Inc. Real Estate<br />
BUBBA O’GWYNN<br />
Market President<br />
BB&T<br />
WENDY ROBERTSON<br />
General Manager, Operations<br />
APM Terminals<br />
RHETT ROSS<br />
President & CEO<br />
Continental Motors<br />
TIM SHEARER<br />
Managing Director (retired)<br />
PricewaterhouseCoopers<br />
Advisory Services<br />
BILL SISSON<br />
President<br />
Mobile Area Chamber<br />
of Commerce<br />
TIM SMITH<br />
Managing Partner<br />
Smith, Dukes & Bucklew, LLP<br />
FRANK SOUTHALL<br />
Chief Accounting Officer (retired)<br />
Ruby Tuesday<br />
BILL STEJSKAL<br />
Director of Human Resources<br />
at The Roman Catholic Diocese<br />
of Nashville<br />
TOM STIEHLE<br />
Vice President, Business<br />
Management, CFO and CIO<br />
Ingalls Shipbuilding<br />
DAVID TRENT<br />
Site Director<br />
Airbus<br />
RICHARD WEAVIL<br />
President<br />
The Weavil Company, LLC<br />
TOMMY ZOGHBY<br />
CFO (retired)<br />
Volkert, Inc<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 35
MITCHELL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS<br />
CENTER & DEPARTMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCILS<br />
ACCOUNTING<br />
J. D. BAXTER<br />
CPA, Foosacklys<br />
HARRY BRISLIN IV<br />
Director, University of South Alabama<br />
Technology & Research Park<br />
MICHAEL E. PIERCE<br />
Executive Director, MLK Avenue<br />
Redevelopment Corporation<br />
DAVID LUCKIE<br />
Senior Planner/Project Manager,<br />
IBCR Media, LLC<br />
EARL BLACKMON<br />
CPA, Hartmann, Blackmon & Kilgore, P.C.<br />
SKIP BROWN<br />
CPA, MAFF, Russell, Thompson, Butler<br />
& Houston, LLP<br />
RICHARD BUNTIN<br />
Vice President, Hancock Whitney Bank<br />
MATT CHAMBLESS<br />
Chief Financial Officer, CPSI<br />
NEIL CHRISTOPHER<br />
CPA, Warren Averett<br />
JACKIE CLACKLER<br />
Operations Controller,<br />
Evonik Degussa Corporation<br />
KRISTINA L. DAVIS<br />
CIA, CHFP, Director, IHS Audit<br />
Services<br />
CHRIS GOODRICH<br />
CPA, Fed Corp, Inc.<br />
WILLIAM JAMAR JR.<br />
Manager, Alabama Department<br />
of Revenue<br />
JASON JONES<br />
Controller, The SSI Group, Inc.<br />
M. STACY LASSITER<br />
Regional Controller, Nations Roof<br />
CINDY RATHLE<br />
CPA, Crow Shields Bailey, PC<br />
KELLI KICHLER REID<br />
Finance Director, City of Daphne<br />
JIM ROBERTSON<br />
CPA, Robertson, Andreoli &<br />
Covington, P.C.<br />
JASON SAULTERS<br />
Senior Manager, HORNE LLP<br />
CHRISTY TAYLOR<br />
Controller, Austal USA, LLC<br />
T. J. VICE<br />
Manager, Mostellar & Shreve, LLP<br />
MICAH WHEELER<br />
Senior Accountant, Wilkins Miller LLC<br />
CENTER FOR REAL ESTATE<br />
AND ECONOMIC<br />
DEVELOPMENT<br />
JAMES (JIM) ANDREWS<br />
VP of Economic Development,<br />
Capital One Commercial Banking<br />
J. GAVIN BENDER SR.<br />
President, Bender Real Estate Group<br />
WILEY BLANKENSHIP<br />
President & Chief Executive Officer,<br />
Coastal Alabama Partnership<br />
ALTON R. (TONY) BROWN III<br />
President, The Pelican Group, Inc.<br />
SUSIE CLEVELAND<br />
Executive Officer, Homebuilders<br />
Association of Metro Mobile<br />
KELLY CUMMINGS<br />
Realtor & Broker-Owner,<br />
The Cummings Company<br />
J. REID CUMMINGS<br />
Director, Center for Real Estate &<br />
Economic Development, <strong>Mitchell</strong><br />
College of Business<br />
DANIEL DENNIS<br />
President, Roberts Brothers, Inc.<br />
SHEILA DODSON<br />
CEO, Baldwin County Association<br />
of Realtors<br />
JAMES M. (JIMMY) GRODNICK<br />
President, JMG Realty Company, Inc.<br />
NATHAN HANDMACHER<br />
Sales & Leasing Executive,<br />
Stirling Properties<br />
BILL HARBOUR<br />
GIS Coordinator, Baldwin County<br />
Board of Education<br />
SHEILA HODGES<br />
President, Meyer Real Estate, Inc.<br />
CHARLOTTE KOPF<br />
Manager, Associated General Contractors<br />
of Alabama, Mobile Section<br />
LIBBA LATHAM<br />
Realtor & Educator, LLB&B, Inc.,<br />
Real Estate<br />
LEE METZGER<br />
Regional Director, Real Estate<br />
Facilities Resource Group,<br />
Ascension Health<br />
JEREMY MILLING<br />
President, Milling Commercial Realty<br />
ABE MITCHELL<br />
Principal, <strong>Mitchell</strong> Brothers, LLC<br />
SPENCE MONROE<br />
Realtor & Associate Broker,<br />
Ashurst & Niemeyer, LLC<br />
EDWARD N. (SKEETER) MORRIS JR.<br />
Principal, Courtney & Morris, Inc.<br />
MELISSA MORRISSETTE<br />
Principal, LLB&B, Inc., Real Estate<br />
JEFFREY NEWMAN<br />
Realtor & Associate Broker,<br />
Real Living Norman Realty<br />
TOM OLDWEILER<br />
Partner, Armbrecht Jackson, LLP<br />
JEFFERSON (JEFF) ROUZIE<br />
Director of Economic Development,<br />
City of Foley<br />
L. PAGE STALCUP III<br />
Partner, Wilkins Miller, LLC<br />
JOSHUA TANNER<br />
President & Chief Executive Officer,<br />
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate<br />
Generations<br />
RICHARD WEAVIL<br />
President, The Weavil Company, LLC<br />
TIM WILKES<br />
President, Magnolia Mortage Company<br />
BOB WOOD<br />
Dean, <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business<br />
MARILYN WOOD<br />
Revenue Commissioner (Retired),<br />
Mobile County<br />
ECONOMICS AND FINANCE<br />
BRIAN ALIDOR<br />
Title Insurance President,<br />
Stewart Title<br />
STEPHEN P. BAKER<br />
Senior VP, Investments,<br />
Merrill Lynch, The Baker Group<br />
JOHN C. BELL<br />
Corporate General Counsel,<br />
Pilot Catastrophe Services, Inc.<br />
ROSS BRATLEE<br />
Chief Financial Officer, BBB Industries<br />
RICH CAMPBELL<br />
Community Bank Market President<br />
The First, A National Banking Assn.<br />
ALLAN R. CROW<br />
CFO, Robert J. Baggett, Inc.<br />
MARK DAVIDSON<br />
Director of Investments, Cornerstone<br />
Investment & Management Consulting<br />
MARK FILLERS<br />
South Alabama Market President,<br />
Renasant Bank<br />
CARESSE FINCHER<br />
Financial Representative, Managing<br />
Director, Strategic Wealth Specialists<br />
JASON GREGORY<br />
Managing Partner, Willis Towers<br />
Watson Insurance<br />
DAVID E. HAGAN<br />
First Vice President,<br />
Trustmark National Bank<br />
RICHARD HARVEY<br />
Senior Vice President<br />
Regions Financial<br />
BOB MCGOUGH<br />
Associate Appraiser,<br />
Cushman and Wakefield<br />
JOHN PISARKIEWICZ<br />
Principal Consultant (Retired),<br />
Nathan Associates, Inc.<br />
ERLING RIIS III<br />
VP, Lyon Fry Cadden Insurance Agency<br />
JENNIFER RYDER<br />
Financial Advisor,<br />
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.<br />
JOHN E. THOMPSON<br />
Managing Principal–Senior<br />
Financial Advisor, Thompson Wealth<br />
Management & Life Planning, Inc.<br />
JAGUAR INVESTMENT FUND<br />
TERRY ALBANO<br />
Investment Manager,<br />
University of South Alabama<br />
RALPH ANDERSON<br />
Vice President,<br />
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management<br />
MARK DAVIDSON<br />
Director of Investments, Cornerstone<br />
Investment & Management Consulting<br />
RICHARD HARVEY<br />
Senior Vice President<br />
Regions Financial<br />
CHIP POSEY<br />
VP, Financial Advisor,<br />
BBVA Compass Investment Solutions<br />
JENNIFER RYDER<br />
Financial Advisor,<br />
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.<br />
SCOTT WELDON<br />
VP, Finance & Administration,<br />
University of South Alabama<br />
DOUG WHITMORE<br />
Financial Advisor, Wells Fargo Advisors<br />
MANAGEMENT<br />
LIANA BARNETT<br />
Personnel Director,<br />
Mobile County Personnel Board<br />
JOE CALAGAZ<br />
VP, Printing, Calagaz Group<br />
GARIN DANNER<br />
Director of HR, The SSI Group, LLC<br />
EDWARD DISMUKES<br />
Owner, Wilson Dismukes<br />
SHELBY GLOVER<br />
Project Manager,<br />
Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce<br />
SONSHERRAYE GOWDER<br />
HR Manager, World Omni<br />
Financial Corp.<br />
36 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
CHARLES E. JACKSON<br />
Executive & Employee Benefit<br />
Specialist, Life + Legacy Benefits, Inc.<br />
JARED JOHNSON<br />
District Manager and Recruiting<br />
Director, Waffle House<br />
BOB OMAINSKY<br />
President,<br />
Wintzell’s Original Oyster House<br />
RHETT ROSS<br />
President & CEO,<br />
Continental Motors, Inc.<br />
CHARLES SMITH<br />
Residential & Commercial Sales<br />
Manager, Centralite Systems, Inc.<br />
SVETLANA STEVENS<br />
Contract Administrator<br />
US Department of Defense<br />
ANDREW VICKERS<br />
Owner, F45 Training<br />
MARKETING AND<br />
QUANTITATIVE METHODS<br />
JUDITH ADAMS<br />
VP, Marketing, Alabama Port Authority<br />
LESLIE BEARD<br />
General Manager,<br />
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.<br />
JOHN BUSH<br />
Branch Manager,<br />
CPC Office Technologies<br />
ANITA CLARKE<br />
Brand Ambassador, C-Spire<br />
PAMELA DENHAM<br />
Owner, Pamela Denham & Associates<br />
MARY LEE GAY<br />
Marketing Manager, SMG<br />
TODD HENDERSON<br />
Mobile Market President, The First,<br />
A National Banking Association<br />
DUNCAN MILLAR<br />
Sales Manager,<br />
McKibbon Hotel Management<br />
DEAN MINTO<br />
Regional Manger, Sherwin-Williams<br />
KAYLA MORGAN<br />
Manager, Marketing<br />
& Research Development,<br />
Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce<br />
MICHAEL B. NEELY<br />
Principal, Perimeter Solutions Group<br />
NATHANIEL PATTERSON<br />
President, Patterson Marketing Group<br />
PAMELA RAMOS-BROWN<br />
CEO, The Ramos Group, LLC<br />
JEFF ROBBINS<br />
Sales Leader,<br />
State Farm Insurance Companies<br />
LYNN ROBINSON<br />
Professor Emeritis,<br />
University of South Alabama<br />
TIFFANY SLATER<br />
Business Development Manager,<br />
Landscape Workshop Gulf Coast<br />
SHELLIE BROOKS TEAGUE<br />
Executive Dir., Mobile Arts Council<br />
MELTON CENTER FOR<br />
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND<br />
INNOVATION<br />
HUNTER ADAMS<br />
Attorney, AdamsIP, LLC<br />
RAYMOND BELL<br />
Maynard, Cooper, and Gale<br />
HARRY BRISLIN IV<br />
Director, University of South<br />
Alabama Technology &<br />
Research Park<br />
WILL BRUCE<br />
William Bruce Business<br />
Owner, Sales & Acquisitions<br />
SEAN BRYANT<br />
Corporate Development,<br />
Brett/Robinson Real Estate and<br />
Development<br />
ANDREW E. BYRD<br />
Director, Office of Commercialization<br />
& Industry Collaboration<br />
University of South Alabama<br />
JEFF CARTER<br />
CEO, Frios Gourmet Pops<br />
MIKE DOW<br />
President and CEO<br />
Coastal Strategic Services<br />
CAROLINE DOYLE<br />
Partner, New York Life Insurance<br />
LINCOLN LEE HAMMONS<br />
Managing Director<br />
Oakworth Capital Bank<br />
KRISTI JULY<br />
Signature Academy Coordinator<br />
Mobile County Public Schools<br />
CLARK KELLY<br />
Retired, L & M Welding Supply<br />
MONICA LOPEZ<br />
Global Sr. Leader Media, Research<br />
and Analytics for Adult Incontinence<br />
and Feminine Care, Kimberly-Clark<br />
Corporation<br />
JEFF MACKIN<br />
Director of Enterprise Sales South,<br />
C-Spire<br />
JEFF MARCUS<br />
COO and Co-Founder, Shipshape<br />
Urban Farms<br />
CLAIRE MCCARRON<br />
Private Banker, Hancock Whitney<br />
Bank<br />
MELINDA MCGHEE<br />
Mortgage Banker, Renasant Bank<br />
JOHN R. NIX<br />
Attorney, John R. Nix, LLC<br />
DEAN PARKER JR.<br />
Entrepreneur, Vita Capital<br />
MONIQUE PETTAWAY<br />
Signature Academy Specialist<br />
Williamson High School<br />
JEFF SCHOCK<br />
CFO, ASF Logistics<br />
DENNIS SHERRIN<br />
CPA, Hartmon, Blackmon, & Kilgore, PC<br />
RON SIVAK<br />
Business Editor, Lagniappe Weekly<br />
HAYLEY VAN ANTWERP<br />
Executive Director<br />
Innovation PortAL<br />
MEL WASHINGTON<br />
Regional Manager, Small Business<br />
Development Center<br />
VICKIE WYATT<br />
Vice President, Wonderland Express, Inc.<br />
PROFESSIONAL<br />
READINESS ENGAGEMENT<br />
PROGRAM<br />
BRENT BARKIN<br />
President & CEO, Shoe Station<br />
EUNICE MINGO BLAKELY<br />
Director of Behavioral Health<br />
Franklin Primary Health Center, Inc.<br />
JENNIFER BUSBY<br />
Human Resources Manager<br />
The SSI Group, LLC<br />
DAVID CHILELLI<br />
Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch<br />
JEREMY DOGGETTE<br />
Senior Representative, Team Member<br />
Relations, AM/NS Calvert<br />
MARY CARON DOWNING<br />
HR Manager<br />
Continental Motors, Inc.<br />
ANGELA DUNN<br />
Vice President, Middle Market<br />
Banking, Hancock Whitney Bank<br />
JAMES FOLEY<br />
Managing Partner,<br />
Fairhope Brewing Company<br />
RAMONICA DAY GAMBLE<br />
Owner/Business Strategist,<br />
Ramonica Gamble Consulting<br />
CADIE GAUT<br />
Co-Owner & Operations Manager,<br />
Payroll Vault<br />
ANNA MARIE GILCHRIST<br />
Owner/Agent, The Gilchrist Agency -<br />
Farmers Insurance<br />
JEFF JOHNSTON<br />
Corporate Counsel, Shoe Station<br />
DARCY KAUL<br />
The Fort of Colonial Mobile<br />
JORDAN DIAZ LEDESMA<br />
Human Resources Business Partner<br />
Chevron Pascagoula Refinery<br />
ARMONDO LOVE<br />
Director of Training and Development<br />
Wind Creek Hospitality<br />
CRAIG SAVAGE<br />
Director of Communications & State<br />
and Local Affairs, Austal USA<br />
MARK SPIVEY<br />
Vice President, Commercial Banking,<br />
BB&T Bank<br />
JAY STUBBS<br />
Regional Director, First Protective<br />
DENSON WHITE<br />
Client Services, APM Terminals Mobile<br />
TIM WILLS<br />
Chief Executive Officer<br />
Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 37
MITCHELL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS<br />
SELECTED FACULTY PUBLICATIONS<br />
Affuso, E., Caudill, S. B., Mixon Jr.,<br />
F. G., Starnes, K. W. (in press). Is<br />
Airport Proximity an Amenity or<br />
Disamenity? An Empirical Investigation<br />
based on House Prices. Land<br />
Economics.<br />
Bordere, J., Grant, C. T. (2018).<br />
New Lease Accounting Standard<br />
Implementation: What Auditors<br />
Should Know. Internal Auditing,<br />
33 (6/November/December 2018),<br />
5-10. 5811 USA Dr. S., MLRC 254<br />
Chiu, V., Liu, Q., Muehlmann, B.,<br />
Baldwin, A. A. (<strong>2019</strong>). A Bibliometric<br />
Analysis of Accounting<br />
Information Systems Journals and<br />
Their Emerging Technologies Contributions.<br />
International Journal of<br />
Accounting Information Systems,<br />
32, 24-43. www.journals.elsevier.<br />
com/international-journal-of-accounting-information-systems/<br />
Cummings, J. R., Lahtinen, K. D.,<br />
Hunsader, K. (2018). Real Estate<br />
Pre-License Education Reporting:<br />
A National Call for Transparency.<br />
Journal of Real Estate Practice and<br />
Education, 21 (1), 77-84.<br />
Cummings, J. R., Martinez, J. A.,<br />
Mills, M. (<strong>2019</strong>). The Increasing<br />
Trend in Commercial Real Estate<br />
Lending by Community Banks: The<br />
Role of Deliberate Risk-Taking,<br />
2001-2017. <strong>2019</strong> Academy of Business<br />
Research <strong>Spring</strong> International<br />
Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana:<br />
Proceedings for the Academy<br />
of Business Research.<br />
Gillis, W., Combs, J. G., Yin, X.<br />
(in press). Franchise management<br />
capabilities and franchisor performance<br />
under alternative franchise<br />
ownership strategies. Journal of<br />
Business Venturing.<br />
Hair, J., Bob G. Wood, Sharland,<br />
A. (<strong>2019</strong>). Towards a Better Understanding<br />
of the Australian Business<br />
Deans Council (ABDC) List and Its<br />
Rankings. International Journal<br />
of Education Management, 33 (4),<br />
644-650.<br />
Hair, J. (<strong>2019</strong>). Rethinking Some<br />
of the Rethinking of Partial Least<br />
Squares Structural Equation<br />
Modeling,” (<strong>2019</strong>th ed.). European<br />
Journal of Marketing. https://doi.<br />
org/10.1108/EJM-10-2018-0665.<br />
Hair, J. (2018). Addressing<br />
Endogeneity in International<br />
Marketing Applications of Partial<br />
Least Squares Structural Equation<br />
Modeling (3rd ed., vol. 26, pp. 1-21).<br />
Journal of International Marketing.<br />
Hair, J. (2018). Marketing<br />
Research in the 21st Century:<br />
Opportunities and Challenges (5th<br />
ed., vol. 17, pp. 666-681). Brazilian<br />
Journal of Marketing.<br />
Hair, J. (<strong>2019</strong>). A Taxonomy for<br />
Financial Services Selling. Journal<br />
of Personal Selling & Sales Management.<br />
https://www.tandfonline.<br />
com/doi/full/10.1080/08853134.20<br />
18.1544078<br />
Hair, J. (<strong>2019</strong>). Business Ethics,<br />
Corporate Social Responsibility,<br />
and Brand Attitudes: An Exploratory<br />
Study (vol. 95, pp. 491-501).<br />
Journal of Business Research.<br />
Hair, J. (<strong>2019</strong>). Marketing and<br />
branding in family business: Assessing<br />
the landscape and charting<br />
a path forward (1st ed., vol. 10, pp.<br />
3-7). Journal of Family Business<br />
Strategy.<br />
Hair, J. (<strong>2019</strong>). Methodological<br />
research on partial least squares<br />
structural equation modeling<br />
(PLS-SEM): A Social Network<br />
Analysi. Internet Research. https://<br />
www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/<br />
abs/10.1108/IntR-12-2017-0509<br />
Hair, J. (<strong>2019</strong>). When to Use and<br />
How to Report the Results of<br />
PLS-SEM (1st ed., vol. 31, pp. 2-27).<br />
European Business Review.<br />
Hair, J. (2018). The Influence of<br />
Organizational Culture on How<br />
We Define and Pursue Goals: the<br />
Value of Regulatory Focus (3rd<br />
ed., vol. 5, pp. 259-277). Journal of<br />
Organizational Effectiveness: People<br />
and Performance. https://doi.<br />
org/10.1108/JOEPP-03-2018-0017<br />
Hardin, J. R., Prescott, G.,<br />
Rich, J. (<strong>2019</strong>). Income Tax and<br />
Reporting Implications of Life<br />
Insurance Settlements. Practical<br />
Tax Strategies/Thomson Reuters,<br />
102(4), 9-18.<br />
Howard, M. C., Crayne, M. P.<br />
(2018). Persistence: Defining the<br />
Multidimensional Construct and<br />
Creating a Measure. Personality<br />
and Individual Differences, 139,<br />
77-89.<br />
Howard, M. C. (2018). Applying<br />
the approach/avoidance framework<br />
to understand the relationships<br />
between social courage, workplace<br />
outcomes, and well-being<br />
outcomes. Journal of Positive<br />
Psychology, Online First (Online<br />
First), 1 - 15.<br />
Howard, M., Rose, J. (in press).<br />
Refining and extending task-technology<br />
fit theory: Creation of two<br />
task-technology fit scales and empirical<br />
clarification of the construct.<br />
Information & Management.<br />
Howard, M. C. (2018). Task performance<br />
influences general self-efficacy,<br />
even without increases in the<br />
skills required to achieve success.<br />
The Journal of Social Psychology,<br />
Online First (Online First), 1 - 6.<br />
Howard, M. (2018). The measurement,<br />
nomological net, and theory<br />
of perceived self-esteem instability:<br />
Applying the conservation of<br />
resources theory to understand the<br />
construct. Psychological Reports, In<br />
Press (In Press), In Press.<br />
Huang, Y., Sunderman, M., Ozdenerol,<br />
E. (<strong>2019</strong>). The Value of Greenways:<br />
Memphis Greenline as a<br />
Case. Journal of Housing Research<br />
Huang, Y., Sunderman, M., Spahr,<br />
R. (<strong>2019</strong>). The Impact of Default<br />
and Foreclosure on Housing Values:<br />
Rings Vs. Neighborhoods Approach.<br />
The Journal of Real Estate<br />
Finance and Economics, 1-37.<br />
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11146-018-9691-y<br />
Istiak, K., Serletis, A. (2018).<br />
Economic Policy Uncertainty and<br />
Real Output: Evidence from the G7<br />
Countries. Applied Economics, 50,<br />
4222-4233.<br />
Lahtinen, K. D., Shipe, S. (2018).<br />
Compensation of Investment<br />
Advisors. The Journal of Investing,<br />
27 (1), 80-86.<br />
Lawrey, C. M., Morris, B. (<strong>2019</strong>).<br />
Firm Diversification and Abnormal<br />
Returns. Journal of Asset Management.<br />
Le, H. B. (2018). The Wright<br />
Amendment repealed: the price and<br />
traffic effects at Fort-Worth and<br />
Love Field. Journal of Transport<br />
Economics and Policy.<br />
Pearce, Craig L., Bob G. Wood,<br />
and Christina Wassenaar, “The<br />
Future of Academic Leadership: Is<br />
Shared Leadership the Answer?”<br />
Public Administration Review, 78<br />
(4),640-644, 2018<br />
Pearce, C. L., Wassenaar, C.<br />
L., Berson, Y., Tuval-Mashiach,<br />
R. (<strong>2019</strong>). Toward a theory of<br />
meta-paradoxical leadership. Organizational<br />
Behavior and Human<br />
Decision Processes.<br />
Sharland, A. (2018). Commentary:<br />
When Kraft came calling on Cadbury.<br />
Thunderbird International<br />
Business Review. www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15206874<br />
Turnipseed, D., Landay, K. (in<br />
press). The Role of the Dark Triad<br />
in Perceptions of Academic Incivility.<br />
Elsevier Limited.<br />
Webster, B. D., Smith, M. B. (in<br />
press). The dark triad and organizational<br />
citizenship behaviors: The<br />
moderating role of high involvement<br />
management. Journal of Business<br />
and Psychology.<br />
38 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>
INVEST<br />
IN THE<br />
COLLEGE<br />
Financial support dramatically impacts the lives of the students in the<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong> College of Business. Your support makes us who we are today and<br />
directly affects tomorrow’s business leaders.<br />
STUDENTS<br />
The enrollment, education and graduation<br />
of outstanding students is of paramount<br />
importance to the <strong>Mitchell</strong> College of<br />
Business. Employers and other external<br />
constituents benefit from inspired graduates<br />
entering the workforce. In order to attract<br />
these students, the <strong>Mitchell</strong> College<br />
must offer competitive scholarships. The<br />
<strong>Mitchell</strong>-Moulton Scholarship Initiative<br />
matches any endowed undergraduate<br />
scholarship gift dollar-for-dollar.<br />
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT SPOTLIGHT<br />
HONG NGUYEN, FINANCE AND ECONOMICS, CLASS OF <strong>2019</strong><br />
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities that the <strong>Mitchell</strong> Scholarship has<br />
given me! As a first-generation college student, this competitive scholarship<br />
has allowed me to afford the costs of higher education. I was able to pursue<br />
a double major in accounting and finance while remaining on a four-year<br />
track, due to the financial relief that the scholarship has provided. Additionally,<br />
I received networking and mentorship opportunities from professionals<br />
within my field of study. This opened the avenue for internship opportunities<br />
in financial-related roles for me, allowing me to gain valuable professional<br />
experience. Having received a quality education and those professional<br />
experiences has prepared me for life beyond graduation. Being a <strong>Mitchell</strong><br />
Scholar has allowed me to remain academically disciplined, achieve career<br />
goals and push for personal growth.”<br />
THREE AREAS OF PRIORITY FOR THE COLLEGE INCLUDE:<br />
ACADEMIC<br />
ENHANCEMENT<br />
Advances in technology, changes in<br />
classroom design and active-learning<br />
teaching methods have drastically<br />
changed the educational environment.<br />
In order to maximize learning outcomes,<br />
the <strong>Mitchell</strong> College must incorporate<br />
these advances into the classroom. Join<br />
us as we embark on a campaign to update<br />
(classrooms and other) <strong>Mitchell</strong> College<br />
of Business learning environments.<br />
THE INTERNATIONAL<br />
EMPHASIS PROJECT<br />
Our students will enter an increasingly<br />
complex and competitive global<br />
economy. Research and experience<br />
show that students who participate in<br />
global immersion opportunities are<br />
better prepared for competition in<br />
the global economy. The goal of our<br />
international emphasis project is to<br />
ensure the affordability of study abroad<br />
opportunities for all interested students.<br />
MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong> | 39
5811 USA South Drive<br />
Mobile, Alabama 36688<br />
40 | MITCHELL | SPRING <strong>2019</strong>